Knights and Ronins
by Laural Rose
Summary: Ronin Warriors, Knights of the Zodiac, Gundam Wing crossover. A new evil has arisen, threatening every dimension. Heroes from different worlds must work together or lose everything. But, will even they be enough?
1. Target: Shadowland

**Author's Note:** This is probably the first serious RW/KZ/GW crossover. The Knights and the pilots will come into this in time. As forthe story, the title still needs help. This first chapter was originally going to be a prequel, but that didn't work out. You may notice I consolidated "Just a Little Halloween Party" into this one, as I will do with the sequels, and another prequel I had intended to scrap. This made it easier on me, and it should be easier for you. I hope you like it. And don't be too mad at me, Kitsune Rose, I only deleted it for a little over a week! No harm, right!

**Disclaimer:** In a perfect world, these boys would be mine all mine. Could one of you kindly point me in the direction of this perfect world? I'd really appreciate it!

**Target: Shadowland**

The black sun in it's yellow sky was just beginning to rise. A tall, emerald haired figure walked beside the green river. The Dynasty summer, even late summer, wasn't much different from any other season, really. He smiled at the bird singing, enjoying the feeling of life that was returning to his world. It felt strange being alone. The armies were disbanded. Dais was off investigating something or other, no doubt a presumed threat to Kayura, or the mortal world, or whatever it was he decided he was now the guardian of to ease his conscience. The Illusion Warlord had been overly zealous about repentance since the final battle with Tulpa. Cale had been rooting out remnants of Tulpa's followers and pockets of evil throughout the land. 

Kayura had reluctantly declared herself Empress. She had intended it to be in title only, however, the only kind of rule the inhabitants of the Dynasty were familiar with was swift, cruel, and merciless. Additionally, found that her rule gave the warlords someone to follow -- a definite plus for their virtues -- and provided a certain amount of security for the Dynasty, and therefore the mortal world. Also, it wasn't like there was anyone else overly qualified for the position, so she resigned herself to her career "choice." She had been keeping herself busy reordering, and remodeling, the castle. Actually, all of the castles, strongholds, and, well, buildings in the Dynasty. He smiled at his own lack of employment, but there wasn't much left, so he had turned his hand to healing. All manners of afflicted creature and even earth could find solace in his touch. Poisons are antitoxins, too, after all.

Just then, a strange chill came upon him. He heard an unfamiliar sound, it was like a child's laugh, but more sinister.

"What are you?" He called to the air, trying desperately to sense the other Warlords and determine what was wrong. When that didn't work he decided it was time to pop back into the castle and see what was going on there.

"Lady Kayura! Empress! Where are you?" He had no sooner called the words upon materializing in the castle than he heard a high pitched whistle, and suddenly the stone wall in front of him was turned to rubble and Sekhmet was now nowhere to be seen!

"Never mind, I can guess." He hissed as he shook off the heavy layer of dust and debris that had covered him when he'd ducked out of the way. A tall, black haired wraith brandished a pair of lovely narrow gold swords.

"Sekhmet, could you please do something constructive for once and help me with this?!" It was clear his Empress was in a foul mood, so he moved to combat the strange mist he saw curling around her.

"Lady, what is this?" He asked, incredulous, as the pale vapor wrapped around him, pulling on him as if it were a living thing.

"I have no idea. I just know it likes me _way _too much!" She replied, slicing at it once more. "This is what I get for putting down my staff for two seconds!"

"Yet you kept your swords?"

"A girl's gotta have some defenses!"

"Right. You have so much to worry about in that department. I forgot."

"Watch it! I beat you once, I can do it again."

"I have no doubt of. . . Empress!" He shouted as he pushed her down. A particularly large and powerful tendril was about to impale her, but instead threw him through a particularly hard stone wall.

"Sekhmet!" Cale exclaimed as he entered, taking over where his colleague left off with a perfectly silent entrance, his cape flaring behind him as he executed some lovely maneuvers with his dachi.

"Show off!" Kayura murmured for her downed friend with a smirk.

"Thank you." Sekhmet smiled as he regained his feet.

"Don't mention it." Cale growled as he regained Kayura's side.

"I was talking to her." Sekhmet countered.

"Cute. Remind me to care next time you need a hand. I might need some persuading if that's the thanks I get." Cale replied good naturedly as he continued to combat the mist.

"Considering the last time before today I needed you're help was over a century ago, I'm shaking." Sekhmet scoffed as the poison shield he'd been spreading around the three of them finally began dissipating the mist, weakening the tentacles. Kayura lunged for her staff, which was beside the throne.

"Now, let's clear the air!" Kayura called as she brought her staff to bear, but stopped short.

"Dais? What are you. . ." And indeed, the white haired man had appeared in the midst of the mist.

"I'm here because she's not." He said cryptically, pointing to the trace vestiges of their unnatural opponent. He looked about ready to collapse.

"Are you all right?" Cale asked concernedly as the new arrival swayed a little on his feet.

"Fine. But you're really wondering about your assailant, right? There's a lot I don't know, either, but I made sure what she didn't know worked against her. Her powers are great but she can't control them yet. The spell she used to get here was incomplete. Of course, that could have something to do with my removing and replacing a fourth of a page of it." Dais continued, making it over to a nearby seat and plopping down heavily.

"Gee, I wonder how a little thing like that could have any effect." Kayura grinned.

"She calls herself Ereshkigal. If she is who she says she is, she'll be tough. Real tough. So I threw her off. She'll think it was another, much more promising prospect that intercepted her power." Dais continued, massaging his eye and eye patch delicately, ignoring his Empress' comment.

"What happens to this "promising prospect", then? And what does she want with Kayura?" Sekhmet queried gently.

"Our enemy is interested in power, and in gaining it from others. The prospect should be able to take care of herself, considering she has plenty of protectors, and no one should have to worry about Ereshkigal for some time, as she'll be rather spent. In the meantime, I intend to test both her guardians, and ours." Dais stated, regaining his feet wearily.

"What?!" Cale and Sekhmet exclaimed in unison, genuinely confused.

"Perhaps she can even be used to our advantage." The Warlord of Illusion continued, as if he hadn't heard them. After a moment he stopped and painfully explained, as if talking to children.

"The Ronins were stronger than us. I'd say our repeated, humiliating defeats proved this. However, if they haven't stayed sharp, it's time for us to bring out the whetstone. But for tonight, I'm going to bed." Dais finished huffily, regaining his usual sneering tone and stiffly exiting the room.

"Do you have any idea what he means by that?" Kayura asked the other two.

"Are you sure we want to know what he means by that?" Sekhmet replied before following Dais out, ignoring his own advice, intent on gaining further answers. Cale, too, seemed to be stalking his prey as he exited on the Warlord of Venom's heels. But there was a hint of concern in the hard eyes of the Corruption Warlord as well, Kayura couldn't help but note with satisfaction.

"Probably not." The young Empress sighed to the now empty room as she collapsed into her small, comfortable pink throne. "Probably not."

-----------------------------

So, there you go. Chapters two through seven will be "Just Another Halloween Party", with some revisions. Okay, many revisions. Hope you enjoy!


	2. Where's the Party?

**Author's Note: **I should mention this storytakes place instead of the OAVs because the author was incapable of understanding them. This chapter and the five following it used to be "Just a Little Halloween Party". I changed it more than I expected -- new costumes, and I reorganized it. The rest was just tweaking. Also, I know the Japanese don't celebrate Halloween, and the boys don't live in the same town, but I don't see the harm in taking a few liberties with the dub. If you really can't stand Halloween in Japan, you could just skip this part. I won't be offended, and you won't miss much. As far as its effect on the plot, the Ronins suspect the Warlords are still against them.  
**  
Disclaimer:** I don't want to come up with one of these for each chapter, so the first one will have to do. I don't own the boys (or girl), only the (real) villain, so don't hurt me and for heaven's sake, don't sue me.

**Where's the Party?  
**

"Okay guys, costume time!" Kento sang as he came bounding into the sitting room where the other Ronins were waiting. Several weeks ago they had decided that each year, a different one of them would be in charge of finding Halloween costumes for the whole group. This year was Kento's turn. That caused no small amount of anxiety in our heroes. "Oh, come on!" Kento whined as Cye hid his face in his hands upon seeing what the earth Ronin was wearing. "This is gonna be good! Cye, you of all people should trust me!"

"Sorry, mate, but that has yet to be seen!" The auburn haired boy replied with a grim laugh as he received his costume.

"Especially considering what you're wearing!" Rowen added. "An old fashioned Samurai armor? Complete with wood breast plate! Isn't that a little bold? Not to mention, why do you get to be the Samurai?"

"Not just the Samurai, Ro, I'm The Samurai." He struck a pose worthy of a hero. "For a genius, you sure don't read much." He continued, as he handed Rowen a black fabric bundle.

"Huh?" Rowen was completely lost.

"Kento's saying we're going as the Keepers of Peace team. They're super heroes who are basically named after their costumes. He was referring to the only things he knows how to read -- comic books!" Ryo explained as Kento first threw him a red, white, and bronze parcel, then pounced on him with an indignant yell.

"How original." Sage rolled his eyes, ignoring his struggling friends on the floor with an indifferent air, but a small grin was on his soft features. "I suppose the green one's mine?" He stated more than asked, retrieving the silver, green and white garments from where they'd landed.

"Actually, this may not be so bad after all." Cye admitted as he went upstairs to change.

"At least we get to be recognized as heroes for one night!" Ryo agreed happily as he ran past Cye, finally loose from Kento's grip and doing his best to stay that way.

"If you say so." Sage sighed doubtfully, having finally seen his opportunity to ascend without molestation.

"Geesh, this is what I get for trying to bring a little culture here." Kento jokingly fumed as he returned to his seat downstairs once Ryo had slammed his door.

"I'm probably gonna regret this, but culture?" Rowen bated. He'd been on his way up, having picked up the last remaining black costume from its pile on the floor, but paused at the comment, eyebrow cocked and lopsided grin at the ready.

"Pop culture, of course! The best kind!" Kento answered proudly.

"This could have been much worse." Cye reiterated, emerging in a white tunic with what looked to be a chain mail suit underneath. A silver tree was sewn on the tunic surrounded by blue waves. "The Knight is a pretty decent super heroes, as they go." He couldn't help adding with a smile.

"A Knight, huh? And the Yew is a symbol of Britain. Cye's finally showing his true colors -- we should have known, what with the accent and all." Rowen grinned as he descended in turn. "But what's with the Cossack get up?" He asked, gesturing to his predominately black, long coat. Beneath it were long black pants, and knee-high boots of the same collar. Atop his head was the somewhat cylindrical fake fur hat. Yep, it was black too. The front of the coat v-necked to reveal a pale white turtle neck. At his side was a long knife. But of course, it was in a black scabbard.

"You're The Cossack." Kento replied matter-of-factly. "But how did you know what you were without reading the comics?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because the Cossacks were a famous Russian military group for centuries?" Sage offered drolly, hiding a grin as he, too, was now on the main floor. He wore another seeming chain mail under-suit beneath a tunic emblazoned with four sections, two green, two white, all bearing gold Fleur de Lis. Kento blushed a little, then brushed off his ignorance with another joke.

"Know why I picked you to be The Chevalier, Sage?" He queried excitedly. This elicited a glance at Rowen that said in no uncertain terms "I know I'm going to regret this one." But, ever the trooper, Sage calmly asked the expected question, readying himself for the next bad pun.

"Okay, Kento. Why'd you pick me to be the Chevalier?"

"Because France is so "en-**light-**ened"." Kento cracked up, as did Yuli who'd just come in from playing with White Blaze. He was rather sick of hearing about France from Mia. As for Sage, as he expected, his face dropped straight into his hand, while Rowen and Cye rolled their eyes. Roman Soldier Ryo tried to hide his own snickering, but Mia acted not amused.

"Ha ha." She stated dryly, hiding a grin of her own before Cye commented on her costume.

"Hey, Mia! I knew you had to be an angel to put up with us!"

"Yeah, you guys are definitely not my dream of knights in shining armor." She joked, her eyes twinkling.

"Hey, come on, saving the world isn't exactly easy, you know. And we had to do it on an empty stomach most times, too! But we're trying!" Kento half joked, half pouted.

"Oh, you're certainly that." Mia laughed.

Finally, they'd had their fun, and it was time to pile into Mia's Jeep. Since defeating Tulpa, they'd remained in Mia's home to stay alert and together in case of any new threats. Along the way, they'd each met a girl they thought of as a friend. Or, more accurately, Sage had a girl fall for him who happened to have four overprotective friends who wanted to check out this Date kid and see if he was good enough. They found they not only liked him, shyness and all, but they liked his friends as well! Anyway, the girls spent a few weekends with the guys -- movies, malls, ect. -- and had invited them to their high school's haunted house. Hence, how this whole mess started.

"So this is the place?" Kento asked excitedly, starring at the dilapidated, (or very well decorated, they couldn't really tell) black mansion before them. "Who could own something this big? It's bigger than your place, Mia! All this for a haunted house. Wow!"

"If the address is right, it is." Mia said with a shrug. "Don't look at me, it's your party." She wasn't going in with them, but rather to a different party her university coworkers were hosting. She'd just been nice enough to give them a lift.

"Thanks, Mia." Ryo and Cye chorused as they scrambled out, Kento right behind with just a wave.

"Thank you very much, Mia."

"Thanks, bye." Rowen called, yanking Sage away from the car by the collar, mid-bow.

_"How did they ever survive each other?"_ Mia thought to herself, shaking her head as she called "You're welcome!" to the lot before driving away.

Once the boys were inside, they found it was your typical haunted house. Skeletons in the closets, bats and spiders dropping down from the ceiling, talking heads on food trays, severed hands in the candy bowls, cobwebs, strobe lights, creepy music, howls, the usual. A little silly for those who've been to the Netherworld and back, but it was pretty good for high schoolers'. A bit refreshing, too, from Dais's all too real illusions. But one thing was wrong. There were no people. The guys looked all around the first floor, their voices nearly drowned out by the sound effects, calling the girl's names but receiving no answers. They didn't come that late! Maybe it was a prank.

"Okay. Sage, Kento, why don't you check upstairs? I'll stay here on the main floor. Rowen, Cye, downstairs." Ryo proposed. "They've got to be here somewhere, right?"

"It feels like old times now! Pyro's already barking orders!" Kento chirped, thoroughly pumped. Either this was going to be a party or a fight and he didn't mind either way. Cye tried to calm his over-enthusiastic friend.

"Just remember, Kento, these are normal kids, not demons, so be gentle." He chided, only half joking with very serious eyes. Sage, meanwhile, received his duty with a silent nod and Rowen gave a trademark lopsided grin. They separated, heading for their destinations, and that's when the "fun" began. The soundtrack let ring a deep-throated laugh that effectively made the hairs rise on the back of Sage's neck, Cye's stomach perform a flip-flop, and Ryo tense, reacting to an enemy that wasn't even there. . .  
**  
------------------  
**  
Anyone who has official info for Ronin Warriors, not Samurai Troopers, I'd appreciate you sending it my way. Thanks.  
Inda, this is the same story as before. After the Halloween section and the intro of the KZ boys (the other prequel I promised), I will still have, and continue, the original "Knights and Ronins" you read, with revisions.


	3. Split Up?

**Author's Note:** You know how in horror movies the worse thing you can do is split up? Our boys obviously don't watch a lot of horror movies, do they?

**Split Up?**

"All right, guys, very funny. Come on out. This is the perfect time to scare me, I'm all alone. Promise I'll scream, just come out. This is dumb." Ryo called as he methodically opened each door on the main level one by one. And did he ever want to scream when he found what he was looking for, but it had nothing to do with his promise. 

-----

Kento and Sage ascended the occasionally broken stairs with about as much stealth as Jacob Marly, since with every step, Sage's costume clinked and Kento's clanked.

"You know, I really prefer our armors." Kento called down cheerfully before a metal hand clamped over his mouth in a vise like grip.

"Are you crazy! How about we not find out how much people remember about us the hard way! I doubt they'd be too receptive to real super heroes." Sage hissed in Kento's ear. Then, just in case people were listening, he added much louder "Yeah, Kento, those costumes were nice. But don't you find it boring going as a Samurai every year? The rest of us sure do!"

After a few nervous laughs and exchanged glares, an uncomfortable silence fell between them until they'd reached the landing.

"Man, those guys did a really good job with this place, huh Sage?" Kento asked as he moved down the hallway and noted the even creepier upstairs. "Sage?" He asked again to thin air. He turned quickly, looking for the blond. He spotted Sage a few feet behind him, rooted in place before an old, full length mirror.

"Oh, come on. You're suit isn't that bad." Kento teased, coming back to stand beside his friend. If only he'd guessed what was really wrong.

-----

Rowen and Cye descended their stairs without incident, deciding it best to split up once they'd reached the bottom. Cye was now dutifully checking every door as if awaiting an executioner's ax. It wasn't the cheap effects. The downstairs, like the main level, had been lit with fake candles and a few fake torches. Basically, the decor was hardly worth batting an eye at, much less enough to inspire dread in one who'd withstood Tulpa's dungeon. 'Something is off here.' He thought, nervously checking behind him. Even with this revelation, he was still quite surprised when his whole vision went black, like someone had turned off his eyes! He tried to ready himself for an attack and even thought of calling his armor, but he heard a small girl's laughter and hesitated. Yet, as he listened, the pitch shifted, taking on a more sinister, almost ethereal tone. The laughter continued growing louder and shifting deeper, becoming less like a child and more like a woman.

"What?!" He wondered aloud as his sub-armor appeared around him. However, any further quandary was arrested as blue-white light blinded him and he slipped into utter darkness.

-----

Ryo had rounded yet another corner when he noticed an alcove with a well-disguised, black door. "Ah ha! I see where your hiding now!" He called out mischievously as he put his weight against the ebony surface. After a few unsuccessful pushes, everything happened at once. The cobwebbed corridor had been lit with flickering fake candles. But, if they were fake, then how did the lights blow out as one, along with the music, without the howling wind sound effects going off, too? Dazed by the sudden darkness, although the previous lighting was hardly bright, Ryo hesitated a moment. He wasn't given a chance to recover before the door gave way and he felt as if he'd been pushed through it from behind! He tried to turn back, but was faced with a smooth, metallic bluish-grey wall that was cold to the touch, almost like ice. Realizing the futility of that route, he turned from it and stopped dead.

-----

Sage, after his little run-in with Kento's hard head, had only been half concentrating on Kento's back. He hadn't had time to really figure it out, but most of his attention was paid to the strange sense of unease in the back of his mind. 'What is it about this place that has me so. . . on edge? I've never been bothered by the dark, so that couldn't be it. The decorations are good for high schoolers, but it stops there. So, what is it? The place itself? Or something in it?! It almost feels like. . . but that couldn't be.' He shook off his musings as they had reached the top and looked straight ahead. . . at something glinting in the half-light. It was a tall mirror, capturing his own reflection. But something wasn't right. . . it wasn't just his nerves that made him jump. He'd always had startling eyes, concealing them was the method behind the madness of his trademark bangs. He had unnerved people when he was a child, since purple is the color of demons, but he'd never noticed the violet orbs could be so incandescent. They almost seemed to glow! But as he stared, they shifted in hue, from their usual steely violet-blue to a purple-tinged off-white. Everything about him became almost sinister. 'Something is definitely wrong with this mirror.' He thought as he tried calling for Kento and found his voice gone! Before he realized it, he'd moved towards the mirror. 'Why can't I look away? What is it that this thing is showing me?' The questions reverberated through his mind, loud with horror. All too soon he was sorry he'd asked.

-----

Rowen was cautiously opening yet another door when he realized how quiet it had gotten. The music had stopped and the sound effects had swelled for a time, but now it was quiet again. Really quiet. He'd thought the lights had flickered for a second, too.

"This old house is playing tricks on me. Hello, more stairs! Is there a sub-basement?" His remarks had been made under his breath, so he shut the door quietly and ran back for Cye, not wanting to alert those no doubt waiting at the bottom that he'd found their hiding place. The armored boy was just around the corner of the hallway.

"Cye, come quick but be quiet. I found some stairs."

"More stairs? This place is endless! But we have them now! Let's see if we can turn the joke on them before we grab the others."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I suppose there's no sense dragging them _all_ the way downstairs for no reason."

"Exactly. Let's go!"

Cye and Rowen silently raced back to the door, Rowen barely leading. He opened it once more and started down the stairs. Cye followed, his green eyes glinting mischievously. But Rowen, genius though he was, never even considered questioning it. It was harmless fun, right? Even a know-it-all can't know everything.

"Ahh!" Before he could even dream to know what was happening, Rowen pitched violently down the stairs head first. Maybe he'd been pulled or maybe he'd lost his footing, he couldn't tell. Maybe he'd even been pushed! He heard a rushing in his ears, and his head was pounding. 'Why can't I regain my balance? How many stairs are there? Why hasn't Cye. . .'

Just then his fall and thoughts were arrested as he slammed hard into a solid object, which he guessed to be a black wall from what little of it he could see. He looked up dazedly from a heap of black fabric as Cye stood above him, but the silver suit was gone, replaced by pale blue sub-armor! The water ronin's Yari was poised and his eyes glowed a sinister, ice blue. Yari?! How did. . .

"Cye, what are you. . ."

Rowen never got to finish his sentence.

-----

"Hello! Anybody here? O.K., guys, nice job, really, I'm impressed. Now where are you and how'd ya do this?! And why do I get the feeling I'm not in Toyama anymore?" Ryo's last question was muttered to himself as he stared across the frozen wasteland he'd stumbled into. "I REALLY hate the cold." He whined miserably. It always seemed to zap all the energy out of him. He'd spent about a minute frozen with surprise before doing his best to break down the door that had sent him here. After he'd determined A) the door wasn't budging, B) this wasn't a bad dream and C) it was definitely way too cold here to be an illusion, he'd started walking hoping to get some answers or clues or at the very least, some circulation! But walking soon wasn't enough to keep his fingers from turning blue, a color he was quickly deciding he hated (no offense intended to Rowen or Cye), so he caved and armored up. As obvious as it was that this wasn't the work of his peers, he had still hoped. "Just once, I would like to be able to go somewhere without needing my armor." He pouted as the power of Wildfire surged through him, bringing glorious heat, but it was weakened by his surroundings.

"Well, maybe whoever's behind this is friendly." He prayed, knowing how naive it sounded, but he also knew that he wasn't in much shape to fight. "I hope the others are having a better time than I am."

His tune soon changed as a low growl issued from an unknown source behind him. "And Maybe I should worry more about myself, first. . ."

**--------------------------- **

Yes, it's a corny cliffhanger, but it's not like you have to wait very long.


	4. Having Fun Yet?

**Author's Note:** Yes, I'm back, and here all that (melo)dramatic build up is finally worth the wait. It's action time!

**Having Fun Yet?**

Kento walked behind Sage, a look of concern on his face, since he couldn't get his friend's attention and immediately decided that something was very wrong. He looked into the mirror and saw an eerie glow and strange coloration in the reflection of the white and green costume, but he was really caught by the blonde's eyes. Not to mention the fact that Kento himself was nowhere to be seen in the reflection! 'What was going on here?' He thought, and was about to voice this very question, but never got the chance. Sage was suddenly being pulled towards the mirror by a sucking wind! Kento stretched out his arms to stop his friend, but found no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach the light Ronin! 'Is Sage being pulled away from me, or am I being pulled away from him?!' But before he could answer his own question, Kento found himself alone in a pitch black room. Then things really got weird! 

-----

Cye opened his eyes slowly, and had to wonder if that had been a good idea. On the one hand, it was good to have a chance to escape when in immediate danger. On the other, it was good to have a chance to escape when in immediate danger! He was flat on his back in a stone hallway, but the roof and upper walls for as far as he could see where completely ablaze with a strange, blue flame! It was almost like dry ice, a burning cold rather than heat. He moved into a crouch, staying well below the flames, to evaluate his options. But his thoughts scattered as a woman's laughter rang sadistically all around him, increasing in pitch as the flames grew larger. "Can this get any weirder? I hope the others are having a better time than I am at this "party"!"

-----

Sage stared dumbfounded at the mirror as a strange feeling came over him, like a security blanket wrapped around a child about to face the monster in the closet. Something stirred in the back of his mind, nagging at him that he should be doing something, but he didn't have time to ponder it as a rushing sound filled his ears, blocking out all other thoughts. Then the drab colors of his surroundings began to blur and swirl and he was being pulled into the mirror! 'What is going on?!' He mentally yelped.

He was in total darkness. Not a sound was heard, not a movement felt. It seemed as though the very air was gone and he was surrounded by nothing. He was simply suspended. Just there. No time, no space, no color, no light, no hope. A feeling of dread began to swell in him, but he forced it down. His face settled into a battle mask as he took a breath as he called his armor, but he still couldn't speak! Once again calming himself, Sage sat down. Well, as there was nothing solid beneath him, it was more like he crossed his legs while floating instead of letting them dangle. He concentrated first on his surroundings, trying to determine what was going on. No good. He could sense nothing! He turned his attention to himself, calling on his spirit, the inner light that fed the armor. 'Still Nothing.' He thought bitterly. 'Okay. Now it's time to panic!'

-----

He couldn't really feel his body. This was bad. Rowen tentatively opened his eyes, hoping to discover that the rest of him was still attached. The pain in his head was more than making up for it, though! Even in the oppressing darkness of his strange surroundings, his returning vision caused great pain. He squeezed his eyes shut, then tried once more. "Well, I seem to be all in one piece." He stated to no one in particular. He told his arms to lift him up and they reluctantly obeyed, but dropped him again after only a few seconds. He could feel now why they'd been hesitant, and they throbbed and shook as if to say "We told ya so!" "I have the sinking feeling I've just been turned into one big bruise. Where am I, anyway?" The floor was cold stone, the air hard ice, and the whole place, as much of it as he could see anyway, was as cheerful as an old grave yard. His legs were chained to the floor, too, and the chains were cutting off his circulation. Wait a minute, chained to the floor! "How did that. . ." He started, but was stopped when he saw a movement in the corner. "Cye!?"

Sure enough, he could just make out the outline of his fully armored friend. As a dirty grey light filtered behind him, the water Ronin raised his yari. His eyes were that same pale blue Rowen had remembered from when he'd. . .

"NO! Whatever sick game this is, I'm not playing. I don't know who you are or what you want, but you're not Cye and you won't get away with this!"

The fake Cye began to laugh, but the perfectly imitated voice slowly slipped into a higher pitch, more feminine.

"It hardly matters, little blue jay, whether you know me or not. It won't save you. I've clipped your wings, and talons. Besides, I know many tricks."

Rowen called his armor just in time to be shocked speechless by this Cye/lady/freak's next move. It changed it's form, but he wasn't conscious long enough to really consider the implications.

"Flare Up NOW!"

-----

The black haired boy shivered as he heard a low growl. He turned to face his new opponent and found himself face to face with a very intimidating White Blaze. But he was no happier than the tiger at this encounter. Blaze's eyes seemed to have a cold, blue glow, and his body seemed bigger than it should have been, if that was conceivable for the massive feline. Ryo had the curious urge to say "My, what big teeth you have!" but he smelled a rat, not a wolf.

"Blaze, wait. . . what are you?" He wondered aloud as he unsheathed his katanas. He did _not_ want to fight a tiger, as he'd seen what generally happened to people dumb enough to try. But then a new sound came to his ears. 'Good news, bad news time already?' He thought wryly, 'Well, good news is, I won't have to fight a tiger. Bad news is, I'll have to fight five tigers! This place just got better and better.'

"Flare Up NOW!"

-----

"Okay, that hurt." Kento mused as he painfully regained his feet. "And I'm not talking physical." He added defiantly as he called his armor. "Beaten by a little wind! I think my pride's been mortally wounded." He continued griping as he considered his tiny surroundings. He was sitting in a small, maroon room that he could barely stand up straight in. 'This kind of thing would drive a guy crazy,' he thought, 'If I was gonna stick around long enough to let it.' Kento was stumped as to how he could see, since there was no real light source, and how he got in was completely beyond him, as there was no visible entrance.

"Well, when ya want to get out and you're host's not considerate enough to leave ya a door, it's doing 'em a service to make one, right?" He reasoned to the air as he threw his weight against a nearby wall. Not only did the wall refuse to give, it pushed him back! As he was thrown against the all-too-close opposite wall, the color of the room began to shift to red as the temperature seemed to rise. He tried gently pushing a third wall, but made a helpful discovery. Each time he pushed against a wall, the wall pushed back and the temperature went up as the room became a brighter color. He tried the now orange fourth wall, having no other option, and it began to move the right way! Kento continued to inch it backwards, but discovered another problem. The ceiling lowered as the wall moved out! "What if it collapses before I get out? What kind of psycho would make a puzzle like this?!" Kento's thoughts reflected his growing panic.

-----

Cye was racing down the corridor, bent over to avoid the flame. He still had no idea how he'd gotten there, where there was, or which way was out. As he'd ran down it, he'd found he was not so much in a hallway, but rather a maze of twists and turns. He knew he should probably stay still rather than get hopelessly lost, but just sitting there waiting to burn to death wasn't exactly a part of his plans for the night. So, he'd started off slow, trusting to instinct and luck to find the right path, but after a while, he didn't see the point in taking his time. The flames were inching down the walls and it was pretty obvious that if he'd chosen the right way, it was also the long way. Not to mention if he hadn't the only way he'd have time to find out and go back was if he moved quickly. So he might as well run. What did he have to lose?

-----

"AHH!" Rowen awoke screaming again. He realized he'd been screaming a lot lately and wished he could stop that as yet another searing pain coursed through him. He couldn't tell if he was really awake or still dreaming. Everything was so confused and painful, he just didn't know anymore. All of his friends had been impersonated and their attacks mixed in every possible combination to the point that he wasn't even sure he remembered who could do what, and his head hurt way too much to try to figure it out now. He'd managed to break the chains at his feet, but more had appeared, trapping his arms and then snaking around his neck. Each time he'd gotten free, more had appeared. He was getting very tired of this game, not to mention constantly being knocked out. Her attacks weren't that strong, it was something else. It was like she could crawl inside his head and turn off his consciousness, then toy with his unconscious. He wasn't sure who or what she was, but he was learning fast how to win her little game. So, she changed her strategy.

"Mother?! Oh, that's just low!"

"Rowen! Is that any way to speak to your mother? I'm hurt! So, then, I'll just have to hurt you. Arrow Shock Wave!"

"That does it." His tone was controlled, but his temper had finally snapped. It was one thing to use his friends. He didn't like it, but he could handle it. It had been done before. But his family?! With his own attack?! No one gets away with that! "Wow. I didn't know my attack hurt so much. No wonder I was able to break Anubis' helmet after the whole space ordeal way back when. Wait. . . this felt like. . . that's it! No, not now. I can't give in now. But I'm so tired!" His thoughts were becoming muddled as another rushing, another cry in his mother's voice bore down upon him. It was all he could do to brace for the impact before. . . "Not again! I don't wanna go to sleep!" He thought ruefully, a little too late.

----------------------

Okay, that was fun, right? Stick around. It gets better. Or at least, I like to think so.


	5. Getting Somewhere?

**Author's Note: **Okay, the title says it all. The boys may finally be getting somewhere. Unless their enemy has other ideas. . .

**Getting Somewhere**

'Maybe this isn't as hopeless as I thought.' Sage had been meditating, trying to reach his armor, to fight alone. 'But it isn't a matter of fighting and what I'm not alone.' He asserted as he implemented his new strategy. He relaxed, not to prepare for battle, but simply to relax, like when he would lounge around at Mia's with a good book. He concentrated not on himself, but on his friends, and the wisdom kanji flared. He knew they needed him and that he was not in danger. He was beginning to see things more clearly, but a few pieces had yet to fall into place. For whatever reason, this new opponent wanted him out of the way, nothing more. He didn't realize his armor had come to him, but when he opened his eyes, his dachi was in hand and he knew he could do what he must do.

-----

"I'm stuck." Kento whined, already crouching, as he found that somehow the room could expand indefinitely. The problem was it was in a definitely horizontal direction. Every time he so much as brushed against the side walls, they closed on him further. If he moved any more, they'd start crushing him! And now the walls were hot. White hot. If he didn't know the simple impossibility of such a thing, he'd swear the walls were melting his armor! And the weird thing was, he was shivering! His arms hurt like heck and he wasn't sure how much he could take, or what choice he had in taking it. 'How do I get out if I can't move? Maybe the guys were right, I might not be in such a tight fix if I laid off the burgers.' He thought, trying to lighten his desperation. 'This is definitely turning into a bad day.'

------

The first tiger creature was down, but the others had scattered at the fiery attack, which hadn't changed the landscape one bit. Either Ryo was weaker than he thought, or something screwy was going on. He didn't get a chance to ponder what before two more tiger creatures attacked him. He managed another Flare Up Now, but only took out one assailant. The other darted out of the way, and it and a fourth creature attacked Ryo from the side and behind, respectively. 'It's like their claws can go through the armor! They're. . . they're burning me!' A frustrated Ryo thought in surprise. 'Almost like they aren't attacking my body at all, but my spirit.' It as the strangest sensation for the fire Ronin to be burned, but it was a cold burn. His mental musings had left him distracted, however, and he was knocked down and the last creature, who had finally decided to join the fray. Ryo couldn't bring his katanas to bear, seeing as his right arm was firmly clenched in the teeth of one creature and his left was currently being sat on by another while the late comer clawed and bit at Ryo's chest and stomach, trying to get at his flesh. Finding the armor too difficult to penetrate, it whined pitiably, like a puppy whose toy rolled beneath the couch, out of reach. Ryo had to concentrate to keep himself from crying out. 'How can they hurt me so much? Wait, they aren't hurting me! I can feel their claws, sure, but that's bearable. It's something within that's hurting. My friends are in pain, that's what I'm feeling!' His virtue kanji blazed across his forehead as he wrenched his right arm from the beast and slammed the broadside of his blade into its fellow, freeing his left arm. He drove his newly freed sword into the last monster and like lightning was on his feet, ready to strike the two remaining enraged creatures. They attacked together, but this time Wildfire's bearer wasn't striking for just himself. The embers in his eyes flared to life and began to swirl as he readied his attack and let it loose, just as the creatures lunged for him. This time the flames spared neither tiger nor terrain, and Ryo at last had a way out through a newly burned hole in the wall.

-----

"There's no way out. This is it." Cye despaired as he reached the end of the maze and found himself cornered. For once, it looked like he shouldn't have trusted his instincts. Somewhere, somehow, he'd made a wrong turn, and the way back was cut off. The flames before him were all the way down the walls, kissing the floor in a mocking bow, as they took the shifting form of an almost feminine figure to block his only way out. He decided the day was finally getting to him, as he could no longer deny that the human figure was before him. "I think if I survive this, I should probably get either my eyes or head examined." He thought aloud, rubbing the former and shaking the later. He had to crouch to avoid the searching tongues that strove to deliver their kiss of death, but they were relentless. "I am not going down like this!" He screamed defiantly at the fire. It wasn't like he was afraid to die, or anything. That much was pretty obvious. But he was thinking of the others. The trust they'd learned to have in one another, that they'd always be there for each other. And he thought of what trials they must be facing, alone, as he was. 'But we're not alone. That's the beauty of our friendship, we're together in spirit!' So he called upon that spirit and summoned his power. He figured he could at least give himself a chance, however small.

-----

Sage stood once more, armored and ready. Now, their captor had at last directed its energies to him, but he ignored the pain as the pitch world swirled with obsidian energy blasts. His face betrayed no emotion as he thought of his friends who he could feel needed him. He closed his eyes, gathered his strength, and attacked! His Thunder Bolt Cut seared through the darkness as shards of glass burst all around, hung suspended for a moment as reality shifted, then fell tinkling like silver rain to the dusty wooden floor. Sage opened his eyes facing a shattered mirror. He was in his now somewhat tattered costume, showered with tiny cuts. He felt drained, but there was more that must be done. He felt someone catch him as he staggered, but his vision took a moment to adjust even to the dim light of the room as a warm hand wiped the blood from his eyes. He quickly recognized the warmth and at last cleared his head of the rushing sound enough to hear, as he looked up to focus on a pair of white-tiger blue eyes.

"Hey, Ryo. You were taking so long this time, I figured I'd better just get myself out. How are the guys?"

"I don't know. But what about you, I mean. . ."

"Let's find them first and save the horror stories for around the campfire. I'm just a little tired. Once I get my armor on, I'll be fine." And with that he rallied himself and called his armor. Ryo said nothing, understanding his friend's need to help other's perfectly.

"I came up here and saw you in the mirror, then you were out of the mirror, and that's as far as I've gotten. I don't have a clue where anybody else is."

"Well, than there's nothing to do except look around. But maybe you should head downstairs. I'll take care of Kento. I mean, I did it once, right?" Sage joked tiredly.

"Yeah, I guess that means I'll be stuck with Cye and Rowen again." Ryo smiled as they split up, trusting their instincts to find their friends.

-----

Kento was on his last leg. He'd tried once more to push out the wall in front, becoming desperate from the heat, and ended up practically crawling along the floor, feeling like his arms had been burnt to a crisp. He pictured the horrible charred flesh and blackened bone that would greet his friends if they ever found him and would almost have been ready to cry, had he been anyone else. He wanted to sleep, but didn't trust what would happen to him if he did. He wanted so much to be back with them, to bust down the walls and high tail it out of there. No way he'd die here! His mind had been working overtime but he'd kept coming up with total blanks as to how to fix this mess. Then, the ceiling began to fall on it's own! 'Looks like I don't get a rescue this time.' He thought ruefully, then cried out in frustration more than anything as the ceiling eased him to the ground. "I think that just broke something." He grimaced as pain arched through his entire body with such intensity he couldn't even tell where it was coming from. He was about ready to give up when something in him snapped! 'I am not betraying them! I will not leave my friends like this!' He felt power surge through him as he roared upward, his temper finally boiling over, and it all fell away. He looked up from his bowed position to find a perfectly normal sized wooden room and a green figure outlined in the yellow light.

"Sage. . ." he managed to choke out before finally giving in to cold, deep sleep.

-----

Sage had heard the scream and come to a solid wall. He touched it's white surface, but quickly jerked back from a searing cold. He knew Kento was trapped by the strange, elongated structure, but all he could do was stare helplessly at the wall, as he couldn't risk attacking. He was terrified and willed Kento to show him what he could do! He called out the warriors name, but his desperate plea was drowned out by the young man's roar. Then a horrible scream pierced his ears as a final, ethereal cry resonated through the house like a death knell, and the prison shattered into grey shards that melted into immaterial pale smoke. His prayers were answered. He watched, too stunned to act, as Kento slumped to the ground. At last Sage broke from his paralysis and ran over to the prone body. He reverently lifted his fallen comrade, remembering once again when he had been in similar position and hoping to every god he'd heard of that his friend would be okay.

------------------

It's almost over. Well, this section is almost over, anyway. You decide why you're happy about that.


	6. The End?

**Author's Note:** Answer time! Or is it. . .

**The End?**

"Super Wave Smasher!" Cye cried, still kneeling on the hard floor. He'd never used his power like this. He'd never even used this much of it in one shot. He was already as exhausted as he'd been when they were first learning to harness the Inferno armor! He'd just started, yet it was paying off. Water slowly rose underfoot, but the fire was burning his arms now as it rushed down the wall and he cried out. Finally, the water won, swirling around him completely, comforting him as it pulled him away from the searching, burning cold. Away from consciousness. He was so tired. As he drifted, the water began to brighten. He saw the surface and the sun and wanted to go to them, but he felt so heavy. The light reminded him of something. . . something he had to do? No. Someone. Or, more specifically, someones. Four someones he had to see. Realization fell upon him like a wave on a cliff and he struggled painfully to the surface against the weight that held him down, not drowning him, of course, but holding him none the less. He did his best to shrug off the fatigue as he strove to reach the pure, warm light. It wasn't until he broke the peaceful surface that he opened his eyes. He was lying on his back in a dark, wooden room, soaking wet, but the only sign of the flood he'd just generated was a small puddle beneath him. Warm arms lifted him as he looked up into concerned blue eyes. 

"What took you so long this time, mate?" Cye asked a little blearily as he was being helped to his unsteady feet with a wry smile.

"Cye, I may regret asking this, but why are you lying in a puddle?" A raven haired youth hesitantly queried.

"No offense, Ryo, but water puts out fire, and I was just in a frozen inferno, of sorts."

"None taken, but I can't wait to hear this story. As for my excuse, I was unavoidably detained by some new friends who were very persuasive in asking me to dinner and figured you could entertain yourself."

"Someone's been spending too much time with either Sage or Rowen, I can't tell who. As much as I'd like to hear about this, since it's been so much fun, let's get out of here and not try this at home." Cye joked weekly.

"I think that's the best idea I've heard all night." Ryo returned with a boyish grin.

The conversation died away as Ryo supported Cye and the two labored up the stairs. Then Cye finally asked the question that had been weighing on his heart. "How are the other's?"

"Sage is hurt. None of his wounds were deep, but I'll bet he's lost a lot of blood. He's going after Kento. You're going upstairs to help him, and I'm staying here to find Rowen, because quite frankly Cye, I'd be hard pressed to believe you could swat a fly right now."

"Actually, I probably got off easy. I'm not hurt, just tired." The auburn haired boy sighed with relief. "You sure you can manage on you're own?"

"Yeah, no prob. Rowen, I'm pretty sure, is just around the corner. I spotted you first, but there's a weird trap door back that I'm sure he went through."

Cye was light headed and stumbled on the broken stairs since his armor was slick with water. He made it upstairs in time to watch Sage coming down. It would have been quite comical, had they not known how deathly serious this development had to be. Sage's tall, thin, arguably feminine form, lacking all outward appearance of strength, now adorned in sub armor, was not only supporting, but carrying a limp Kento of Hardrock. The orange clad, fully armored Ronin was cradled in Sage's arms, the latter's violet eyes flashing with determination, and perhaps, guilt.

"Is. . .is he all right?" Cye stammered after the initial shock had worn off in the awkward silence.

"Yeah. His wounds have pretty much healed, he's just resting now."

"It's quite a sight to see you carry him like that. Can't wait to hear what Kento's going to think of it when he wakes up!" The water Ronin tried to joke, but his voice cracked, and his hollow laughter buried itself in the now pervasive quiet of the house.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But don't worry. We won't let him live it down!" The blond replied with a twinkle in his tired eyes, finally getting a chuckle out of his brown haired friend, but doubt still weighed heavily on their hearts. Why weren't they being harassed further? The situation didn't seem to bode well for the last member of their little team.

-----

Once again, Ryo found himself running to the air Ronin's rescue. He also found himself praying that this time would be easier than last time. Odd how history kept repeating itself. He remembered when they'd been the last two left, all that Rowen had done for him. All the times the taller boy had risked himself for his friends, for Ryo. In a way, Rowen was his closest friend. "There will be no more sacrifices!" The Ronin leader swore to the air. But he had no further time to think. He had found the trap door he'd seen earlier. But, why wouldn't it budge?! Somehow he knew Rowen was in there, but Ryo couldn't get to him! "Why are you doing this?!" Ryo called, unsheathing his katana and striking at the obsidian barrier. "Where is Rowen? I won't let you hurt him! Let go of my friend."

"Oh, but I've already hurt him, little tiger. The rest of you freed yourselves. He'll just have to do the same. I can't have you bursting in and spoiling my fun. The little blue jay will need to learn to fly all by himself if he wants to get out of _my _cage." Her voice was weak; it seemed tired, even. It had gotten scratchy, as if with age. The apparent weakness of their opponent gave Ryo hope as he continued to pound all the more furiously upon the final wall that kept him from his comrade. He wasn't giving up!

-----

Rowen awoke once more, blearily eyeing his captor.

"Hush now, little blue jay. You're mine. All mine. You're friends are gone. Abandoned you. There's nothing left to hope for. I'll let you go to sweet oblivion. No more pain, no more of the cage of the body. You can fly to death, now. Nothing to stop you." The witch cooed, as if calming a child after a nightmare, or a frightened wild animal before trying to heal it. It was so twisted. Such a gentle tone to spoke such cruel words.

"My friends would never abandon me, just as I'd never leave them. I will get out of here, lady, and so will they. We'll beat you, you'll see."

"My, such a big voice for such a tiny, frightened bird. Just like a Jay to imitate a Hawk. If you want to join you're friends so much, I'll tell you a little secret. They're waiting for you, in the next world!"

"Hah! The Ronin Warriors are too strong to be beaten by the likes of you." He once again struggled valiantly against the chains. It felt different this time! She was weakening, and it was as though he was getting stronger. He could almost hear Ryo calling to him, begging him to have strength enough to beat this. He felt like the others were behind him, too, lending him their strength. This time, when the chains broke, he tried a new approach. He pushed away their replacements by calling on the air itself to aid him. He stood in the eye of a great windstorm that swept the monster and her tricks away with an earsplitting scream. Somehow, he felt it was finally over, he couldn't help but think they had won as he collapsed into red armor plaited arms.

"I got ya, Ro. It's okay now."

"I know, Ryo. What took ya, anyway?"

"Did I miss the memo about that being the "question of the day", or is it just understood by now that you guys need me to save your necks?"

"Both. But thanks for asking. It's good that we have that all cleared up for next time. I'd hate to have to waste all that energy saving myself."

"Yeah, wouldn't that be a shame."

-----

At last the wait was over, as Sage saw Ryo's coming first. Cye quickly turned and followed his eyes, giving a little cry of relief. Kento was finally conscious, but his face was pale. It had been a long night.

"So, are we agreed we'll never do this again? I don't think I could if I wanted." Rowen gave a lopsided grin as greeting.

"Especially not in you're current condition, little jay." Ryo teased. While Rowen had taken a bad beating, he'd managed the stairs without needing Ryo's support. Barely. Mainly because Ryo was in no shape to support him. The wound's the fire Ronin had gotten from those tiger-like creatures, though he'd never admit it, were slowing him down.

"Ryo. I love you like a brother. But if you ever call me that again, I'll hurt you. You are Ryo, right?" A look of doubt and slight fear crossed his face as the air Ronin remembered how he'd gotten into that mess with the chains in the first place.

"Duh, I'm Ryo. Who else would I be?" Ryo gave the blue-haired boy a look of concern. A question ran behind the intense blue eyes, something along the lines of "how hard did Rowen get hit on the head down there?".

"Then how'd you know she called me little blue jay?" Rowen continued, keeping an inconspicuous distance between himself and his companion, still sporting a somewhat distrusting frown.

"She called you that when I was trying to save you. What's you're problem? Are you sure you're okay?"

"She won." Rowen said quietly, out of the blue, with a weary smile.

"What?!" Four voices asked in wondering unison.

"This whole time she was trying to turn me against you, make me distrust you, and she did it. Despite it all, I didn't really recognize Ryo, because I didn't believe it was him. I fell for it. I doubted you for a moment. That's a victory for her. I doubted you guys." He felt hollow, almost near tears, when a pair of small, cool hands took his left hand and Cye guided him gently up the last stairs.

"Hey, we've all had doubts, buddy." Kento tentatively soothed. "We all stumbled a little at one point or another during our fight with Tulpa. You were overdue for you're turn. Don't worry about it." The husky boy's voice got steadier as he reminded himself of the truth in his own words, remembering his own doubts after Dais had toyed with his mind about the armors origins. He remembered finding Cye and Ryo, after they'd been tricked into attacking each other. Even though Sage had eventually seen through the warlord's illusion, the light ronin had gotten in some stinging blows before beating the trap, by letting Kento hit him. He tried not to think about the two battles with Tulpa. The Ronins had all fallen into mistrust of themselves and their friend's at least once.

"We should get out of here. I think a change of scenery is in order. So much for the party." Cye stated softly, hoping to change the subject from such heavy concerns after an already tiring night. Once the fatigue lost it's hold on Rowen's mind, Cye hoped his normally clear thinking comrade would be better able to deal with his emotions.

"Can't argue with that. A tactical retreat is decidedly in order. But, we do need to find out what we fought today. Five Ronins wounded, that's a pretty tough customer." Ryo said darkly.

"Agreed." Sage nodded as he got to his feet. He continued to support Kento. Cye stumbled along on his own. Ryo had been leaning his weight against the wall at the top of the stairs. When he pushed away, though, he lost his balance. Rowen caught him and continued to let Ryo lean on him out the door.

"This is a switch. So this is how it feels to be you." The red clad boy mused.

"Watch it. I don't need your help _that_ often."

"Oh really." Everything was going to be okay. Ryo was sure of it, and, as if in proof of his thoughts, the house seemed completely normal from the outside, making it hard to believe it had been such a nightmare. Or perhaps that's exactly what it seemed like, a bad dream that was burned away like mist by the morning sun. Even their wounds didn't seem real. As they exited the house, the actual damage seemed to mend, though much of the pain and stiffness remained.

"Well, since things seem back to normal, who wants to call Mia for a ride home?" Kento said as cheerily as he could.

"I wonder whatever happened to the other guests, or was that a trick, too?" Sage asked the inevitable question none of them had wanted to face, for fear of the implication. Could that many innocents have been hurt or killed because of them? Could they do anything about it? Could they have done. . . better not to wonder. But no sooner were the words spoken, the house began to flicker, then shift from black to brown. The decorations were suddenly corny, the whole place just seemed. . . normal. A grey white mist hovered above it and then surrounded them, burned them with ice cold flames as a female figure formed above the huddled group. She had long, white hair, streaked with steel grey, flying loose behind flowing, blue-white robes, and pale, ice blue eyes.

"You have not won yet, my little pets. I may still claim you."

----------------

I honestly hope you're hating me now.Well, actuallyI'm hoping you consider this enough of a cliffhanger to want to hate me. Either way, I'd like to hear about it.


	7. Show down

**Author's Note:** Yes folks, all things must come to an end, and so it is with "Just a Little Halloween Party". Tell me if this is a good thing or a bad thing, please.

**Show(down)**

"Her powers are fire, but cold fire. Water still beats fire, but heat beats ice. If you two combine you're attacks, she'll fall for sure." Sage said conversationally to Ryo, leaning over and calling above the roaring grey flames. The Ronin leader nodded decisively, not looking at Sage, but meeting Cye's gaze as he joined his katanas. Cye had already raised his yari determinedly. 

"Super. . ."

"Flare. . ."

"Wave. . ."

"Up. . ."

"SMASHER!"

"NOW!"

Blue and red lights intertwined as they careened into the shadowy figure. She let out a howl and was gone, for good. Cye fell to his knees, supporting himself with his yari, and Ryo plunged a sword into the pavement to keep from toppling over, as the rest of the team looked up in horror at the house. They had an audience! The kids were all standing around the windows, cheering and hollering, and five girls were already half way to them.

"I knew you liked to play the hero, Sage, but a real knight in shining armor? Come on." A lovely girl in a princess gown with long black hair and sparkling green eyes gushed as she lead the charge.

"Ah, Rei, Um. . . hi." The blonde blushed deeply as the girl latched onto him.

"That was pretty amazing, the way you guys just appeared in the middle of that light show! How did you ever pull it off? And these costumes, they're so cool!" A perky red-haired cat looked expectantly at Rowen with big, brown eyes. But a pale green-haired kunoichi was following Cye and Ryo's gaze to the roof, and the others caught on pretty quick.

"Actually, we had help, Tori. Hello, Dais. Nice entrance yourself." Sure enough the white-haired warlord was perfectly at ease, leaning against the chimney in a tight, dark crimson turtle neck and black pants.

"Hello, Rowen." The one-eyed bishonen called with complete nonchalance, sneering slightly at the last word as if he'd told an inside joke. Then, without further warning, he leapt from the roof and flipped a few times to land casually on his feet. The boys rolled their eyes as the girls screamed. People from the house gasped and clapped at the show as the girls turned wide eyes toward our heroes with several murmured "How'd he do that?"s. Dais sauntered over to the little crowd, smiling contentedly as Kento looked ready to wipe the smugness off his face with the business end of his fist and Cye just sighed in exasperation.

"He's a real wizard with the unreal. You might call him a Lord of Illusions." Rowen replied smoothly, his eyes hard, belying the faked mirth of his sarcastic grin.

"Ahh, come on boys, where's your sense of humor? I thought this would be like old times! Besides, you should be taking you're bows. You did well, little Ronins, enjoy the celebration. You didn't disappoint me. But I'll soon be calling in a favor in return." All present kept up the thin charade, but the boys were nearly trembling with rage. "I dropped by to say I couldn't stay, despite your gracious invitation to _all_ of Sage's friends, but I thought I might as well give you kids a good show while I was in the area." The silver tongued spider turned to Rei, bending to kiss her hand with a flourished bow before disappearing, as if he'd never been there at all, eliciting another gasp and a few giggles from the girls.

Ryo's eyes were daggers and his face stern as he stared down the shadows where their apparently no longer former enemy had stood.

"Oh! What a gentleman! So dashing. And that eye patch makes him so mysterious! A little like you, Sage, since you always have one eye covered. Well, come on. After an entrance like that, I guess I can forgive you for being so late." The raven-haired beauty looked up adoringly as she hustled the flustered blonde into the house, the other girls did the same with "their" guys. As the party resumed, the boys found themselves to be the center of attention, when all they wanted to do was go home!

Several hours later, Sage finally collapsed in his chair when they returned, his armor banished, his costume off, his feet sore, and his mind racing. Not to mention pounding.

"This is why I don't go to parties." he told his mostly unconscious friends. Cye was sprawled on the couch, but it was Kento who was dozing in a chair. Ryo was leaning against White Blaze, enjoying the fire Mia had started in the fireplace for them, and Rowen was in a chair cradling his throbbing temples.

"Nice try, buddy, like that's ever happened before." The blue haired boy replied without looking up, his voice partially muffled by his position.

"We still need to talk about what happened tonight." Cye said quietly, making the others jump as they thought he was asleep.

"I know what you mean. Why would Dais do that to us? What's his game? It doesn't help anyone to make us enemies again, but that was a pretty malicious trick." Ryo wondered aloud, his eyes closed in concentration. "It just doesn't make sense."

"No, but we won't know until he's ready to tell us, I'm sure." Sage yawned.

"And he said he'd be back. Until then, I'm taking Kento's advice by example and preparing for him in dream land." Rowen almost immediately held true to his word upon finishing his sentence. Even Sage looked surprised before the remaining three laughed grimly and followed suit, too tired to move, much less walk up the stairs to their rooms.

-

Mia had crashed as soon as possible after removing her costume and make-up and setting up the sitting room for the guys. She'd had a good but draining night, so she didn't ask for details about their party, picking up on their not wanting to talk about it. When she came down late the next morning, she found them sleeping like angels, even Cye and Sage who were always up before her. She smiled and let them sleep, despite having no clue about just how hard their night had been.

-

White Blaze had baby-sat for Yuli, keeping the kid out of trouble, so he was already fast asleep by the time everyone got home. He, too, didn't wake up until well after noon!

----

"I hated doing it to them." A dark figure griped. "It felt so natural and at the same time, so wrong. I scared myself. I don't know what to think except that I never want to do that again. Amazing how things change."

"But we had to know they could still face a powerful opponent. You're illusions were the only way." Cale soothed his stormy companion.

"I'm sure that didn't make it any easier." Kayura placed a comforting hand on her warlord's shoulder. "Thank you, Dais. You all should be resting, though. I can't imagine how much that drained you."

"Even Torrent won't trust us after this, my lady." Sekhmet hissed worriedly, sliding from the shadows to Kayura's side. "My poisons were such that they should have no lasting effects, and the Ronins' wounds should be healed by now, but still."

"If we play this right, they won't have to trust us. Our credibility is the least of my worries. Right now I'd like to focus on our world. We have to depend on them to help us save it, whether they know it or not. It's all we can do." The young Empress smiled sadly.

"Yes, milady." The three said as one, bowing as they flickered out with the candles that had lit the room.

"Oh, ancient." The slight form seemed to diminish in the lonely shadows, her confidence waning now that she was alone in the empty palace. "Guide us! I pray I've made the right decisions. I do wish you were here, Anubis."

----

As Dais walked down the stone halls, the torch light flickering across his white hair and gleaming on his pink sub armor. He thought back on the events of the day.

"So strange. I should have enjoyed that. Not so long ago, I would have. But it was so hard. And their faces. Strata's face. Anubis, what would you have had me done? I fear I failed you. There had to be a better way than that. But I couldn't think of it. I guess all I can do is have faith in that compassion I always mocked. I'm sure at least _they_ can forgive us."

**-----------------  
**  
What will I do to the Ronins next? Nothing! Next chapter brings the real Knights into this "Knights and Ronins" story.  
P.S. Rei was the girl who invited Sage to her school's Halloween party because she had a crush on him. I needed a reason for the guys to go to this thing so I came up with her and the other four. Don't worry, you'll never see them again.  
Thank you for the reviewsHoshimare and Inda. I really appreciate anything anyone wants to tell me, though I'd enjoy constructive criticism most!  
Sorry this note turned out so long!


	8. Old Heroes, New Legends

**Author's Note:** Yes, the Bronze boys are finally getting involved. Ever wondered what would happen if the Warlords and Knights fought? Yes, we all know who wins, but read it anyway, please. It wasn't a mystery with the Ronins either, but we still watch the show!  
P.S. This comes after theSanctuary chapter, but I don't trust myself to properly characterize the Gold Knights. Also,I don't want to bother withtheother Bronzeand Silver Knights. So,I'm basically pretending Saori ison vacationor some such thing. On an unrelated note, if anyone knows any good English sites on Saint Seiya, please send themmy way.

**Old Heroes, New Legends**

The wind was howling around the Kido mansion. The freak blizzard had taken everyone unawares. But for now, the Knights and their charge were enjoying a blazing fire. Especially since it provided the only light, considering the storm had taken out the electricity. Seiya lay sprawled in front of the fireplace, trying desperately to get his teeth to stop chattering. Shiryu leaned against the side of the hearth, seemingly asleep. Ikki had taken a similar stance against the far wall, with Shun and Sienna shivering on a couch between them. Hyoga hadn't been seen since shortly after the blizzard started. He had grabbed his cloth and gone out the door saying only that he had to check something out. That had been almost two hours ago. Good old Tatsumi was busying himself with finding the generator and getting it going. The general consensus on his chances was simply good luck to him, he'd need it.

"I h-h-hate the c-c-cold!" Seiya whined.

"We heard you the first dozen times." Ikki stated in a dangerously calm voice. His head was down so his face was in shadows, but they all knew the look that was on it and Seiya promptly shut up. Ikki didn't show it much, but he was attached to his comrades-in-arms and was as worried as anybody else about Hyoga. Although, as they say, no news is good news and none of them had felt the blonde was in trouble. Just that trouble was out there for him to find. Seiya, for his part, whether he knew it or not, was trying to take their minds off of the oppressive storm and it's portents, but seeing as how Plan A wasn't working, had decided that the Plan B of a fight with Ikki wasn't worth what Sienna and Shun would likely do to him. However, they soon had plenty enough to keep them occupied.

As the uncomfortable silence once again fell between our heroes, an arctic wind brought a flurry of snow into the room, turning blood red as it danced about the fire, like little flickering sparks. Behind the light show came a very white Swan. Hyoga shut the door and brushed off the rather large pile of snow that had accumulated on his head and shoulders.

"Well, it's definitely a storm. I've never seen one like it." Hyoga stated seriously, obviously not in the best mood.

"You're saying this is worse than Siberia?" Shun queried incredulously.

"Yes and no. I'm saying this isn't like any storm I've ever seen. Usually, the snow feels alive, it's bite and chill are refreshing. But this, this is like that stuff Black Swan tried to pass off as snow. It's dead. But it's worse than his, too. The chill to this stuff is ominous. Its bite is cruel, even to me. I'm cold. Dudes, I'm never cold!" Hyoga stated, and for the first time his friends realized the blonde was shivering. Shiryu, after a moment of shocked paralysis, quickly took Hyoga by the arm and gently lead him in front of the fire. Seiya took the hint and sat up, making room for his arctic friend. "I don't like this at all. Something is really wrong, here."

No sooner had Hyoga finished his warning than a humming was heard as lights blazed on all over the house and a triumphant yell sounded from below them. Everyone in the room tensed, but relaxed as they realized what was going on. Moments later, a slightly blue Tatsumi strutted into the room, dusty and a bit bruised, but quite pleased with himself.

"There you go, Princess, the generator is on!" The tall man crowed.

"So I see. Thank you Tatsumi. Have a seat by the fire." She offered as she gave Seiya a 'move-it-or-loose-it' glare.

"Thank you, Princess. Happy to be of service." Baldy sat down happily before the hearth, leaving a rather disgruntled Seiya out in the cold, at least as far as the brunette was concerned.

"Geesh, Princess, you have impeccable timing." Seiya said in a rather sarcastic tone. "You pick now to give your staff a vacation."

"Actually, much as I hate to admit it, Seiya has a point. This whole thing stinks! This one day, when our defenses are down, is when this unnatural storm strikes. It seems too convenient." Ikki growled, eyes blazing.

"No kidding. I was wondering about that myself. But Ares is gone. So who else would be after Athena?" Shiryu asked softly, not looking at the others.

"And you guys have already decided this can't just be a coincidence, huh?" Seiya stated more than asked, disgust apparent in his somewhat downcast tone. Couldn't the bad guys give them a vacation that didn't include bed-rest just once?

"This is definitely the work of some force or being." Shun echoed confidently, sitting forward with his elbows on his knees, supporting his head on his laced fingers.

"Great. So, we go from fighting freaky knights and gods to fighting freak weather patterns? Anyone else have a problem. . . what was that?" Seiya's rant was interrupted by what sounded like harsh laughter, followed by a chilling wind that froze the fire! The lights went out again as if they'd been swallowed up. Then, a scream rang through the mansion and as suddenly as the darkness had come, it vanished. Along with Sienna!

"Princess!!" Six voices called as one.

---------------------

Yeah, short chapter, but this was the only place I could cut it off, I swear!


	9. Knights and Warlords

**Author's Note:** Introductions are so tedious. If any part of this seems confusing or redundant, please tell me. I have rewritten this section five or six times, so I'm not even sure what I'm reading anymore.  
One more thing, the reason I don't have the Warlords wearing helmets is because they're good now, even if the Knights don't know it. It makes sense to me, sorry if it bothers you.

**Knights and Warlords  
**

"We have your precious Princess. We'll take good care of her, don't worry. But if you wish to reclaim her, you'll have to overcome the obstacles we present to you. I am Cale, Warlord of Corruption. We are here to see if you Bronze Knights are as tough as we've heard, so four of you will fight the four of us. I'm afraid one of you is going to be left all alone, but at least you'll have you're health. And, I brought a little surprise for you as well." The challenge was closer to a wolf's growl than any human voice the boys had heard. When they located where it was coming from, they found a strange man in what looked to be brown armor with a long, flowing crimson cape. Beneath a mop of blue hair, he sported a cross-shaped scar over his left eye, which made him uncomfortably close to Ikki in description. But any further comparison of the two was halted by the huge sword slung across the stranger's back. As stunning as his entrance had been, his exit was a bit anticlimactic. He simply vanished! The Knights left behind a sputtering Tatsumi as they raced to their cloths, donning them post haste and exiting the mansion through the closest available window or door. They hit the ground running in the direction they sensed their goddess to be, but of course, simply finding her wasn't going to be their only problem.

"First, we need to determine who's doing this and why. They aren't Knights, those aren't cloths, and I don't think any of us has ever heard of these Warlords, so let's just focus on finding out what's going on. We may be able to settle this peacefully." Andromeda pleaded once everyone was outside and moving in Sienna's direction.

"Is it me, or is he getting bossier?" Seiya asked.

"Watch it!" Ikki called as he leapt out of the way of a very nasty beam of light that tore through the ground where they'd been running a moment before. Shiryu, a step behind the blue haired boy, dragged a fuming Seiya with him as he, too, dodged the attack. Seiya had misunderstood Ikki's growl, thinking it a response to his question. Shun, being a little ways behind the others, had plenty of time to avoid it. Hyoga, too, though he had been in the lead, had easily evaded the attack.

"Good call." Pegasus said by way of apology.

The blast, they noticed, had scorched the ground, evaporating the snow. A large, circular clearing had emerged around a moss haired man in green and red armor. The clearing was warm and had an unpleasant, dead smell.

"So, you boys are fast. You just escaped my Snake Fang Strike. Even the Ronins have trouble doing that at times. I am Sekhmet, Warlord of Venom. If you want your goddess, one of you will have to face me. The rest must find their opponents elsewhere." The Warlord was rather unsettling to look at as one eye was bigger than the other, and neither contained an iris. Not to mention the six wicked looking katanas he was already starting to string together into a whip!

"I got this one. You guys go on." Shiryu told his friends.

"Noble Dragon, let us see if you deserve the name of the god of serpents. Will you taste my poison for your princess? SNAKE FANG STRIKE!" The new comer hissed.

"Wait, why are you. . ." But Shun was cut off as the Warlord's swords snaked out with lightning speed, biting at Shiryu as he barely avoided the attack.

"This is not your affair, gentle Andromeda. Dais has his eye set on you." Sekhmet cackled maniacally.

"Dude, what a nut job. And he fights dirty!" Hyoga shivered.

"Get going, guys. Focus on Sienna." Shiryu called.

"Yes, yes, run along, boys. I only want to play with you're little friend. I'm not going to hurt him. Much." The Warlord's words were once again followed by evil laughter.

"Be careful, Shiryu." Seiya called as he reluctantly followed Hyoga and Ikki away, Shun in tow.  
They hadn't gone ten yards before they were once again halted. "Well, well. What have we here? Little Knights without a princess to protect. What a shame. Athena is in no danger. We just want to know that her power can be kept safe from the wrong hands. If you can't protect her. . . well, your loss, our gain." The speaker was hard to locate, his voice seeming to come from everywhere at once. When they found him, he was a young man with long, white hair. His armor was purple, and his left eye was covered by a black eye patch. Though, the truly striking part of his appearance was the strange, six bladed scythe that made him look like a spider. This resemblance was aided by the fact that he was hanging upside down, suspended by a translucent purple energy web! "I am Dais, Warlord of Illusion."

"I take it he's mine. Those wrong hands wouldn't happen to be yours, would they?" Shun said softly, moving into a defensive position. He couldn't help thinking to himself. 'Why. . . Why haven't my Nebula Chains reacted to these guys? Perhaps. . . but that's too much to hope for.'

"Ah, Andromeda. I was hoping you'd choose me. I've been looking forward to this. Let us see if you are stronger than I've heard." Dais cooed, ignoring Shun's question as he casually righted himself, and in the same smooth motion grabbed his weapon.

"There's an invitation I could refuse." The slight boy muttered beneath his breath, but his attention was focused on his opponent's eye. 'What am I seeing? What is it. . .'  
However, he was not allowed to think long as the Warlord suddenly swung his scythes, yelling. "WEB OF DECEPTION!" Sticky white webs encompassed Shun. Finally, his Nebula Chains were forced to form a shell around their bearer to keep the opposing threads away from their target.

"I can handle this, Ikki. It's all right. Keep going." Andromeda stopped his brother mid-stride. "I think this is a test, of some sort. The only way we'll get Athena back is if we prove that we can. We have to play by their rules, but I think we can beat them at their own game." Shun's tone was harder than usual, and if they'd been able to see his eyes, they would have seen a striking confidence rarely displayed by their kindly friend.

"Ookaay. Well then. I guess we'll be going now. Then. Yep." Seiya sputtered, unsure how to react to this latest turn of events, but doing his best to drag a still unmoving Ikki with him.  
Just then, his efforts were halted as sakura petals floated all around them.

"What, leaving so soon Pegasus? I don't think so. I am Lady Kayura, and one of you has a date with my Star Light Swords!" This time, it was a woman's voice. She materialized from thin air, holding a pair of long sai with gold and red tassels on the handle. As she spoke, the blades extended into twin jitte. She had long, flowing, dark blue hair, looked to be younger than Seiya, and seemed completely out of place.

"Huh? Look missy, we're YIKES!" Seiya barely had time to yelp as he leapt out of the way of one of her blades, which she easily retrieved, since the tassels also extended.

"Function and fashion. That is one lethal lady!" Hyoga marveled.

"You don't know the half of it, Swanie." Kayura laughed. "Come, which of you brave fellows wants to be beaten by a girl?"

"Why you!"

"Seiya!" Ikki cut off his ranting leader. "You should take this one, but get a hold of yourself first!"

"Huh?" Hyoga and Seiya couldn't help asking, confused.

"Simply put, he has the most experience fighting women. Swan and I aren't as fond of the female fighters." Ikki chuckled harshly.

"I'm not sure I want to know what that's supposed to mean, but I agree this chick needs to learn some manners!" Pegasus smirked, barely containing his short temper.

"I take it you're not what you appear to be, either." Shun stated calmly, staring now at Kayura and drawing the attention of all present.

"My, you're quite the quick one." The cobalt-locked lass replied. "Indeed, none of us are, are we? Come, Seiya, since you seem the most eager to make the acquaintance of my blades. It is terribly one sided for me fight you all by yourself, but I don't want you if you can't hit a woman, because believe me, I can hit a boy. Hard." And with that the petals swirled and faded into the crisp air, and both Seiya and Kayura were gone!

"Where. . ."

"Patience, Swan, they've not gone far. Kayura likes to play rough, so she needs a lot of room. She'll return him when she's done, though I can't guaranty he won't be worse for wear. She has a distinct tendency to abuse new toys." Dais soothed.

"Cale and Sienna are still to the North. In case you haven't noticed yet, Seiya can generally take care of himself. We have to do the same." Shun checked any further complaints from his companions. The two Knights started in that direction abashed and speechless.

Once they were out of earshot, Hyoga couldn't help but comment. "Dude, I think Seiya's actually right about the bossy thing."

"I'm not sure which surprises me more. Seiya being right, or Shun being bossy." Ikki replied before he could stop himself.

Any further banter was halted by a chorus of howls.

"Wolves?! What are they doing here?"" Phoenix asked, coming to a halt.

"Those aren't normal wolves." Swan cautioned.

"Naturally. It would be awfully boring to fight something normal, don't you think?" Ikki joked.

"You're quite perceptive. These are my pets." Cale called as he materialized between them and a pack of about twenty very large, black furred, red eyed, sharp toothed canines. "But I'm afraid I haven't fed them in a while. Sometimes it slips my mind. I was hoping one of you would be kind enough to assist me."

"I'll take the beasts if you take the bastard." Ikki growled conversationally.

"Sorry, man, but I got this. Those monsters are a mockery of nature." Hyoga responded coldly.

"And here I was expecting Swan to be my opponent. Very well, fire against ice, the most primordial battle! Let us see the god of the South's power!" Cale crowed as darkness seeped from the blue-haired Warlord and enveloped the blue-haired warrior. As this shadow was washed from the land by the first appearance of the blazing sun all day, it took with it both combatants!

Hyoga stood amid a frozen wasteland unable even to sense his the other Knights. It seemed the whole world had just died, leaving him as the sole survivor. Well, not quite sole. He always had the wolves.

--------------------------

Well, considering there are only three living Warlords and Kayura, either two of the Knights had to fight one of the Dynasty people, or someone had to be left out in the cold. Yes, I should have found a better use for Hyoga's talents, but at least he's in his element this way.  
Inda: I rewrote some of the dialogue, but from what I have seen, the Seiya in "Knights of the Zodiac" is a little different from Saint Seiya. Thus, I think Knight Seiya is in character here. If I'm wrong, correct me, by all means.


	10. Battles Begin

**Author's Note: **All right, this section was hard. To make this chapter, I had to first write five chapters of more or less pure fight scenes, and for those of you who have never written an action scene, let me let you in on a little secret, they're hard! So, I tried. This section nearly fried my brain! I don't know what possessed me to do it this way, but it's done now, so there!

**Battles Begin  
**

Shiryu couldn't believe how fast his opponent was! 'He can almost match a Gold Knight! Who are these Warlords? And how does this one grow extra arms as soon as he unsheathes his swords?!' The tall boy almost wasn't fast enough to keep up, but mainly because he'd underestimated the Warlord, not because of an actual deficiency.

Also, he was hesitant to fight. 'Something about this, about him feels really wrong. Almost like he's not an enemy. It feels like fighting Seiya all over again, but maybe not quite as hard.' He allowed himself a grim smile before he was nicked in the right shoulder by Sekhmet's blade. The sword was caustic!

Shiryu cried out in alarm at how much that had hurt. 'He apparently isn't called the Warlord of Venom for nothing.' Dragon grimaced inwardly. When he examined the impact site, he was in for another surprise. Even though there was no blood to signal a wound, his whole arm burned, and perhaps more importantly, his Dragon Cloth had been, well, rather. . . MELTED. 'This is bad. This is very bad. I can not let that guy hit me!'

"Ah, it appears my venom works quite well against your cloths. I'm glad all my hard work paid off. You see, I made a special batch, just for you boys. Don't you like it? Pity, maybe it's an appreciation that comes with time. Have a larger helping! SNAKE FANG STRIKE!"

The proud young man was caught completely off-guard, and the rewarded for his distraction a true taste of the viper's fang as Sekhmet's blast bit into his left side, especially injuring his leg. He screamed as he sprang backwards, wincing and a little dizzy from pain. He was concentrating on another ache, however.

'What was that! It. . . it was like my friends were just ripped away from me. They're not dead, but they're gone. Or am I gone? I just. . . I can't sense them at all!' Shiryu's panicked mind whirled with the possibilities, but at the same time, stayed remarkably blank. 'How. . . how can such a thing be possible?!'

"What's the matter, little Dragon? Can't feel the other Bronzed whelps? Don't worry! You're all headed for the same place. You'll be together soon. In the afterlife!" Sekhmet taunted.

"What have you done with my friends?" Shiryu demanded, even as he couldn't help thinking to himself. 'That cackling is going to drive me crazy!'

"Oh, come now, Dragon. I expected a little more focus from you. How many times do we have to tell you hero types to worry about yourselves before you learn what's important. They aren't facing me, so they have a chance at surviving!"

"My friends are what's important, and don't underestimate me. If you think. . ."

"My dear boy, less talk, more action! SNAKE FANG STRIKE!"

This round of "pin the sword on the Dragon" went a little more in Shiryu's favor. But only a little. Even though he was getting more than a little dodging, and had finally figured out this guy did not grow an extra two pairs of arms as soon as he grabbed his swords, Dragon was already exhausted. The poison was really slowing him down. When the Cobra released his attack, Shiryu leapt up out of the way, twisting his body in the air to land next to Sekhmet, where he struck the Warlord's extended arm and relieved the snake of his blade. The green-haired man hissed in pain and frustration as his katana skittered across the ground. Yet, within that very second, he'd swung his right arm's weapon and raked Dragon. The latter jumped back into a crouch, clutching his aching chest and breathing heavily as he winced from the pain. "You could always give up." Sekhmet smirked as he lazily retrieved his blade and moved in for the kill. "It's not like you can withstand my venom! No one can!"

"I thought I warned you not to underestimate me."

"Big talk from a little boy." Sekhmet's sword was about to split Shiryu's scalp, but the Dragon was not going down that easily. He blocked the attack with his right arm, his left coming up more slowly to support it's brother. The blade hissed as it cut the metal, releasing a noxious, reddish gas. But Sekhmet's left arm was once again striving to bring his second katana home. Shiryu sensed rather than saw this attack. 'Can I match his speed in this shape?' He wondered desperately as his eyes widened in shock.

------

"Hey! Where. . . ?!" Shun called in surprise when it suddenly felt like the link between he and the other Knights had been severed. He couldn't sense them anywhere at all!

"You're little friends just found their playmates, that's all. If they win, they'll be returned. You should worry about yourself!" Dais called as he began a viscous attack with his nunchacku. Andromeda's chains stayed in their circular shape around him. So, Dais changed tactics. "If you like, I can show you their progress."

At this, the green-haired boy found he was being lifted off the ground, and around him a pink energy ball had formed. Since Dais was nowhere to be seen, the Nebula chains had gone limp and retracted. Slowly, the terrain shifted from white to brown as Shun looked down on a scalded patch of land. His eyes went wide as the scene slowly came into focus.

"Ah ha, here we are." Dais' voice chirped, the rest of him still hidden from view. "I had a little trouble tracking down Sekhmet. And there's Dragon. . . oh my. Well that's a surprise." The black-haired fighter seemed on his last leg. Literally. He was blocking the Venom Warlord's lightning-fast blows as best he could, but he was on his knees, his left leg, actually, his whole left side, badly injured. His armor was damaged, almost melted, in several spots, mostly around the joints. Finally, Sekhmet raised a sword, as if to cleave Shiryu's head, but the Dragon raised his arms in time to block the blade. Unfortunately, that left an opening for the Warlord, who plunged his second katana into Shiryu's heart. As the green-haired monster removed his sword with a satisfied smirk, the younger warrior fell with a soft "thud" into a spreading pool of his own blood. His pale face was contorted in agony and shock; his grey eyes glazed and unseeing.

"No." Shun moaned softly. "Shiryu!!" He cried, pounding on the barrier that kept him from his friend. 'Maybe there's still something I can do.' He thought desperately. A single tear escaped, but only one as he shut his eyes tightly to hold back the rest more forcefully and hung his head. When he allowed his vision to return, he was somewhere else entirely! Below him was pale purple fluff. He looked up in surprise at the abrupt change, and once again felt rather ill.

"Seiya?!" Andromeda called as he watched his leader's battered figure rise from the billowy "ground" where he had fallen, just to be encompassed by what looked like pink lightning, rending the delicate terrain and sending the brunette careening towards earth. They were on a cloud!? All the while a female's voice rang out, drowning Pegasus' cries. "Star Sword Scream! Watch you're step, Seiya. It's a long trip down." Her laughter reverberated through the firmament as Shun tuned out a few parting words from the midnight-tressed figure who had at last appeared, smiling down on the Knight who lay shattered upon the frozen ground, all too far away. Andromeda stared in shock as scarlet swirled out from the tiny, unmoving form of his leader and friend.

Dais' voice once again filled his ears with malice. "Oh, and here I thought Pegasus was a winged horse. Too bad for him he never learned how to fly. Moving right a long. Ah, yes, the Siberian surfer Swan. Let us see how your little snow bird is doing against our wolves."

It took the Knight a moment to realize just what he was looking at below him. At first, it seemed the pale rose of the sunset was spreading over the snow. But the sky was still grey, and no sun could be seen. Also, where the color spread, the snow seemed to sink. The snow was being tainted with blood! Shun let out a gasp of horror as he tried to turn away, but somehow he couldn't keep himself from watching, scanning, hoping he was wrong. His eyes were now too shocked to cry as they at last fell upon the source of the gore. Shun silently surveyed the older Knight's body, or what was left of it, as wolves ravaged their fresh kill. He brought his hands before his eyes, desperate to erase the images of his friends.

"Let me see, who am I forgetting." The voice questioned brightly. "That's right! Your big brother is in your little group. You've probably been most curious about him! Terribly sorry to keep you waiting." This time the switch was gentler, brightening from grey to white. "Oh dear. Your Phoenix didn't fare well at all against our Jackal, did he. Such a pity. I really had expected it to last a bit longer. Certainly I thought you boys would at least be a little bit of a challenge. What a mess." Dais murmured almost gently, with the tone of one who appraised a dead deer in a ditch.

Andromeda tried not to look, but his arms slowly fell limp at his sides, no matter how hard he strained to keep them up. His defenses were dropping. Once again, dead snow whirled around him as he looked down upon a thin layer of ice. Beneath this, Ikki lay motionless, an angry, black scar running from his lower right side to his left shoulder, basically splitting him in two. But the ice seemed to have frozen him together, even freezing his blood, as only a few scattered drops of the glaring liquid marred the pale silver landscape. Cale stood over the body, looking most perturbed.

"Aw. It doesn't seem fire birds are much of a challenge for ice dogs." Dais' tone was almost paternal, like a disappointed father coming home to a trashed house. Stern and exasperated.

'This can't be! It can't!' Shun tried telling himself it was all a sick movie or joke or trick, or something, but his mind was racing too fast, repeating the same sentence over and over again. He couldn't pull himself away. The image remained in his eyes, even when he covered them with their lids. With his hands. The image stayed. Finally the tears broke through. But they were tears of rage.

------------

Okay, first true fight scene of the story is done. Wait a minute, didn't I put this under Action/Adventure? Yikes. No wonder so few are reading this. That's depressing.


	11. Falling Stars

**Author's Note:** Poor wittle Seiya and Hyoga. What do I have in store for them? Wouldn't you like to know.

**Falling Stars**

Seiya had made the mistake of blinking, and now found himself atop a cloud! "WHAT THE. . ." 

"Now now, Pegasus, I brought you here so we could be alone. That way your friends won't have to hear you beg for mercy." Kayura pacified in her accustomed "addressing the pathetic hero" tone.

"You sure are high on yourself! Allow me to bring you down a peg, lady! And it's your own fault for taking us so far from the ground, don't blame me for the rough landing and bumpy ride!" The brunette called back.

"There's always a comedian. How droll." Her voice not only dripped, but gushed sarcasm as she connected the hilts of her jitte, spinning them so skillfully that all a very surprised Seiya could clearly make out were the bright blue energy beams headed straight for him!

"Listen, missy, AHH! FOR STARTERS YOU CAN STOP INTERRUPTING ME WITH THOSE BLASTED SWORDS!"

"I was warned you'd be rather insolent! Let's see if I can't curb that tongue of yours. Starlight Swords!"

"Uh oh." Pegasus was sent flying, landing softly onto the cotton-like clouds, but rather battered all the same. Apparently even constellations can't take too much star light when it's channeled through Kayura's weapons.

'I hate to admit it, but those hits are going to leave a mark or two. Geesh, I can not underestimate this chick! That hurt! And more than just my pride!'

He rose to his feet rather painfully, doing his best to hide a grimace on his shadowed mouth. His more accustomed smile was shining on a slightly singed face when he met her gaze and announced. "Not bad, for a girl. But I think it's my turn, now."

"Oh, not just yet, I have one more trick I think will prove a real scream! STAR SWORD SCREAM! Watch you're step, Seiya. It's a long trip down. Now who's off their high horse!?"

Streaks of pink lightning arced from the clouds above, encircling him in a perilous dance and joined to form a wall of energy that dissolved the clouds below, sending him hurtling towards the whitewashed earth, which in his opinion, was far too far away!

-----

"Well, the bright side is, I have plenty of frustration to work off on you freaks." Hyoga informed the wolves as he squared off with what appeared to be the Alpha Male of the pack. The beast, larger than his fellows and obviously bolder, now launched himself at Swan. The Knight made a motion to merely bat the mongrel away, but somehow it absorbed the blow and twisted its body to clamp down on Swan's left arm!

'Huh! These things really are monsters! My arm feels frozen!' The blond thought to himself as he was being whirled about by the momentum and weight of the wolf. Hyoga retaliated with a solid punch from his free hand right between the creature's eyes. However, he was now nearly on his knees, and turned about forty five degrees from his original stance. This was a definite problem, as his back was now exposed to the slowly circling pack!

"Diamond Dust!" Hyoga called as he whirled to face his next attacker. With lightning speed, his body fell into their accustomed, graceful motions as he called down the furry of the frozen heavens. His icy blast appeared to purify the tainted surroundings, bringing brilliance back to the achromatic landscape. Unfortunately, it didn't have quite the same effect on his immediate future.

"What! How can this be!" The Swan couldn't avoid crying out in dismay as he realized his powers had no effect on his opponents! If anything, they looked stronger!

'Okay, no prob, so this takes a little more effort than I thought. I can handle that.' Hyoga tried to reassure himself, racking his brain for a plan, an idea, anything that could help. Because, right now, he definitely needed help. Since they'd breezed right by his punch, once again, and were unimpressed by his Diamond Dust, the wolves had managed to take him down. And the ground is the last place you want to be when dealing with hungry wolves! Especially those of the demonic variety.

-----------------

Feel free to hate me, just tell me what you think. Next chapter we'll check in with Ikki. Big brother's in big trouble. I know, what else is new.


	12. Phantom Pain

**Author's Note:** Okay, so here we go with Ikki vs. Cale. The next chapter will wrap up this section, but for now, you'll just have to try to enjoy the suspense as much as I do.

**Phantom Pain**

"Wha. . . where am I?" Ikki was caught rather by surprise when the world just seemed to blink out. His eyes slowly adjusted to the grey light, but the rest of his senses were working overtime to figure out where his opponent was! 

"You are in my element, Red Bird. I'm rather curious to see which Phoenix you take after, that of the West or that of the East. I've always wondered how to deal with an immortal!" Cale's cocky chuckling reverberated off the still, shaded surroundings, masking his position. Yet Phoenix avoided the Warlord's dachi all the same.

"And I'm supposed to care. . ."

"Oh, that's right, you're a tough guy who cares for his baby brother!" Again with the laughing.

"Leave. . . Shun. . . OUT of this." Phoenix snarled. "I've heard quite enough about him being a baby, but more importantly, I've seen how strong he can be for his friends. It's a good lesson you freaks all seem to have to learn the hard way. DO NOT underestimate my friends and I."

"Tough talk. Can you back it up? The only attack I've ever heard of you using is illusion, turning your opponents fears against them. Do you have any other tricks? Dais is a master of illusion, compared to him you're nothing more than a pup with a knack for shadow puppets! I am a master of the dark, and all things horrible are in my domain. My world is the endless night, and all the evils that inhabit it. Can you face such a fearful hell, I wonder? You certainly think you can, but let us see you pass a true test of mental endurance!"

"Now you're the one with the tough talk! I've found the ones who speak the loudest of pain and hell are the ones who know it least. I wonder if you could have survived five minutes of what I and the others have been through." As usual, Ikki's low rumble was barely above a whisper as he matched Cale's blows. Some he dodged, others he blocked and he even sent a few back at their owner! However, the Knight had yet to make any true offensive move. Ikki was both sizing up Phoenix's adversary, and giving the Warlord a chance to feel he put up a fight.

'This cocky creep won't need a second punch!' He smiled to himself.

"Well, you certainly are laid back. If you don't care to attack, I hope you don't mind if I do. Enough playing. BLACK LIGHTNING SLASH!"

The beam was a deeper blackness, taking what little vision Ikki had managed to gain. It cut as surely as the sword would have, and burned with cold!

"Impressive." Phoenix ground grudgingly. "I didn't expect you to be. . . this strong." Ikki shook off the attack, cracked his neck, and turned on his heel, launching himself into the blind shadows around him. "Now, if you don't mind, it's my turn to show off. I've heard your bark, and felt your bite, now lets put your bragging to the test. PHANTOM DEMON!"

The punch was a direct hit. He'd taken the Corruption Warlord off guard, as the old dog hadn't expected to be found so easily. The darkness wavered, brightened, then everything went completely black. It was Ikki's first experience with true lightlessness. Light seemed no longer to exist, anywhere. Cale must have leapt away from Phoenix after the punch landed, for the latter was no longer sure of where the older man could be.

"Didn't I tell you, I've faced my demons. Petty tricks won't phase me. I am the nightmare, not the sufferer." The Warlords snickering escalated until the sound waves of his voice seemed the only sensation possible in the inky pit.

"Funny, that's usually my line. I think I'd like you if you weren't stupid enough to fight us." Ikki smiled into the impossible night, putting up a brave front, but there was something to this that he was missing. He could sense it. 'There is no way he's completely unaffected. He has to fear something! Unless. . .'

"That's it!" He crowed aloud. "I figured you out. This is your fear. You've managed to project it, making it seem an attack. But why haven't you moved for a blow with your sword if the field is so completely to your advantage? It's not, is it?"

"You think you're so clever. You heroes are all alike. I haven't attacked because over the years, an old friend managed to teach me a few things, one of which was fair play. If you are so eager to die, however, BLACK LIGHTNING SLASH!"

'Me and my big mouth! The only thing I know is that this attack's stronger than ever, and I'm not! I can't sense him at all! Where is he?' Phoenix frantically racked his senses, seeking anything, any little thing that could help. He kept the appearance of composure to the last, his stony face sporting a maddening smirk as the blade and it's energy hit him squarely on the right shoulder. Cale could feel the satisfying resistance of metal and human flesh, but used his momentum and strength to follow through on the blow. He frowned at his work appraisingly as the world undimmed, his bemused expression a contradicting mixture of disappointment, achievement, and perhaps guilt.

'Well, that could have gone better.' The blue-haired warrior grimaced as he fell backwards into the snow. A light mist seemed to be settling over everything, including him, creating a thin layer of deadening ice.

-----------------

I love being evil. Time for that maniacal laughter I've scorned! AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ehhem. That hurt my throat.


	13. Knights' End?

**Author's Note:** Unlucky chapter thirteen; what doom will you bring to our beloved Knights?

**Knights' End?**

"This isn't happening!" Shun screamed, his body trembling as he fell to his knees. His Cosmo now spread outward, pushing away Dais' spell. The Nebula Chains roiled around him as he found himself kneeling in dazzling white snow. The sun was beaming down upon him, as if it knew his nightmares and was putting in extra effort to make them fade away. He was facing a winded Warlord of Illusion. Andromeda starred for a moment, transfixed as he realized what he was seeing now, and how very real it was. 

"Congratulations. You are absolutely correct. Your mind is strong, as is your faith in the strength of others, and when pushed, you have power that you don't even have to be aware of to use. You may very well be the strongest person I know, at least in the ways that count. You win." The tone was now gentle, even friendly, but the voice was labored. The one-eyed man seemed to age before Shun's eyes. He didn't look older, he just. . . felt older. Andromeda had the impression he was in the presence of someone who surpassed even Roshi in age. Shun slowly allowed himself to noticed the trickle of blood on the right side of the Warlord's mouth. The Nebula Chains had impaled Dais!

"It was all a trick? No, a test. And my friends are. . ." All of his emotions seemed to jumble within him, making the Knight feel quite faint. He immediately recalled his chains as he tried to ask all the questions that had been pestering him throughout this ordeal, but Dais spoke again.

"Protect Athena. That is your duty, correct?" He stated sadly. "Well, soon you may have to protect her from herself. Beware, young Andromeda, for you and your friends may soon have to make a grave choice, where everything will rest on you! We will do our part to avoid this, but ultimately, we can do little. You have all that is required to pass a far more serious test. I only hope you will know when to use it." And with that, the man rose, bowed, and disappeared!

Shun stood now, unable to see anything but the snow, hear anything but the wind, and feel anything but cold. And empty. Somehow, he knew Dais had spoken truly. A greater battle was yet to come. Though his eyes were dry, his earlier tears were frozen to his cheeks as Andromeda walked shakily back to where the mansion should be to wait for the others, attempting to turn off his thoughts.

-----

"That could have gone worse." The blue-haired Knight muttered as he fell to his knees, watching his antagonist fall. Ikki had leapt back in time and only been grazed by an attack that potentially could have bisected him. Cale, from the use of his energy both in the attack and to battle the Demon Phantom, had fallen to his own powers!

"Why did you do all this?" Phoenix asked as he bent over the fallen Warlord. The young fighter's fiery presence was enough to evaporate the ice, Cale's waning powers no where near able to make it stay, especially since he didn't want it to.

"You're duty is to protect Athena? Soon, your greatest challenge will come. If you fail in that duty, we lose our world, and everything we've sacrificed has been in vain. We couldn't take chances. We had to know that you would pass the test ahead. All you've dealt with in the past has come from your own dimension. We had to know you could fight something that was of a different origin. You can, most assuredly. Do not fail. No one can afford that high a price." With that, the man was gone.

Ikki stood alone on a very brown patch of land outside a very snow-less mansion. Shun was somewhat nearby, and he could just make out Shiryu, Hyoga, and Seiya's faint Cosmos. That much he knew. As for what that meant, and what just happened, since there suddenly wasn't a mark on him, those were something else entirely!

-----

"RISING DRAGON KICK!" From his crouch, he shot upwards, narrowly avoiding the speeding blade and throwing off its brother, he landed a kick hard enough to reverse a waterfall squarely under Sekhmet's chin. The green head shot back, the rest of his body following. As the ground furrowed beneath the Warlord from the force with which he was thrown, Sekhmet's form became blurred until he'd completely disappeared, just before reaching the snowy perimeter of his little realm.

Shiryu swayed for a moment as he tried to regain his balance, but ultimately collapsed once more to his knees. His vision was swimming from the energy he'd used, but his body was. . . healing? That didn't make sense, did it? He couldn't force his muddled mind to think straight as he felt friendly arms swoop him up. The fully armored man who carried him firmly but gently back to the mansion had cobalt hair and dark skin.

"Ikki?" Dragon wondered softly, unable to make his eyes focus.

"Shh." The voice was familiar, and gentler than he expected. He gave into unconsciousness and knew no more until the following morning, when he awoke in his bed refreshed and a bit puzzled by the hazy events of the previous day.

-----

'How weird. These things are cold. Really cold. It's like. . . it's like they're frozen inside! Like they're already dead. They belong to that creep, Cale, and I bet he's the one who made the storm! And made them. That's why they don't feel my attacks -- they are already frozen! That's how he controls them! So, these aren't the only monsters here.'

He remembered what had once been taught him by Crystal Knight:

'With control over an element, comes control over the lack of it, though that is far harder to obtain. It takes true mastery.' His Sensei's words echoed in his ears as he summoned all the strength within him, and banished the snow.

"I get it. I think I finally get it." Swan stated softly. As the temperature rose, the wolves seemed to diminish in size. Swan threw them off easily, using pure force to defeat them. Those that could, fled once they realized the tables had turned. They seemed almost to disappear, like shadows, in the light of the sun that came out for the first time since this whole mess started. All that was left was to find his friends. The blond didn't have to wonder too long about one of the Knights, at least. Just follow the screams.

-----

"Come, now. You disappoint me. I didn't have you up all_ that_ high!" Kayura lightly landed an elegant leap, leaving almost no trace of her slight weight upon the snow as she walked to Pegasus' side.

"Ouch." Was about the extent of poor Seiya's vocabulary, and mental function, by the time he finally landed. "Just a few more minutes. I don't wanna train today, Marin." he murmured softly to himself, in somewhat of a daze while his head cleared from the fall. However, as the new leading lady in his life gave him none-too-soft a nudge with her very pointed white boot, he remembered rather quickly where he was and sprang to his feet once more.

"PEGASUS METEOR PUNCH!" Seiya was beyond desperate. He was angry, he was sore, he was frustrated, and he was getting worried that he'd be the one that kept them from getting Athena back, because beating little miss Empress didn't seem possible, much less in his near future.

"That's more like it OH! So that's how to get you show your power! Knock you around a bit! This is sickeningly familiar. Why must all you goodie-good guys be so much alike, anyway?" The lady was definitely fast. She dodged his punches without so much as batting an eye.

'This is NOT good.' Pegasus mentally screamed as he tried desperately to catch his breath. 'What the heck IS she?!' Then, finally some connected. Was she slowing down? Or. . . it seemed almost like he was getting faster, like some other energy was adding to his and moving his tired body for him! It felt like the Cosmos of his friends were with him once again, but he still couldn't totally sense the other Knights. He still wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth! He was finally winning!

"Well, Lady. You have awesome energy attacks and a lot of neat tricks, but when it comes down to it, you just can't take a punch!" Seiya sneered at the fallen girl. She had a split lip and probably a few cracked ribs, if how far she flew from his fist and that horrid snapping sound when the two collided were any indication.

"Perhaps not. I've never had to, before." She was smiling, though her breath was rather ragged. "You are the first person to ever hit me, Seiya of the Pegasus cloth. Congratulations, you pass. Your princess will be returned. Guard her well, that is all I ask. More than you know rides on her safety." And with that, Kayura was gone.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! OF COURSE WE'LL GUARD HER WELL, THAT'S THE POINT!" He called to the air, puzzled, exhausted, and infuriated.

"Don't think too hard, Seiya, it doesn't suit you." A friendly, though somewhat cracked voice greeted.

"HYOGA!" The brunette turned sharply to face his approaching ally.

"Who else. Could ya' stop yelling, too, maybe? I'm thinking some of my friends back in Siberia don't particularly want to hear your voice right now." The blond grinned.

"Ha Ha." Seiya's real anger had burned off, now that he knew his friends were safe. The weather was back to normal, now, and something told him all he had to do was go back to the mansion, and there would be Sienna.

"Heading back?" He asked as if they'd all just been out for a stroll or something.

"No, Seiya, I'm going on a day trip to So Cal."

"Don't be too sarcastic. It doesn't suit you."

"Ha ha."

-----

When two ragged boys came in the door, they were greeted by an interesting sight. Shun sat thinking on the couch, and Ikki stood against the wall. But the center of attention was a very put out Sienna who was valiantly trying to pry a blubbering Tatsumi from around her waist. Unfortunately, the tall man wasn't budging.

"If you like, we could leave you two alone." Seiya smiled, trying with equal valor to keep from bursting out laughing. Shun hid a smile into his hands, and Ikki turned his head slightly to keep his own grin secret. Hyoga just stepped away from the youngest Knight, as neither Athena, nor Tatsumi looked particularly happy with the comment. On the bright side, it got baldy to let go of the Princess. Not that that was a bright side for poor Seiya.

----

"Okay. They're tough." Dais perused his battered companions once they'd all returned to the Netherworld.

"Oh, really. Next time you need to test someone, can we just use pen and paper?" Kayura asked through her ice pack.

"Oh, gee, where's the fun in that?" Cale asked, doing his best to rouse a still unconscious Sekhmet.

"I didn't hear any of you complaining when I came up with this plan." Dais shot back, a bit put out.

"We didn't know it would hurt this much when you came up with this plan." Sekhmet finally chimed weakly.

-----------------

A nice little splash of humor to wrap it up. And no cliffhanger at all! I must be ill! Next time, the real fun begins!  
Note: That was "doom" as in destiny, not "doom" as in "doom and gloom, darkness and despair". Got ya!


	14. Going Out?

**Author's Note:** Yay! The original "Knights and Ronins" has finally been reached!

**Going Out?**

It was a lovely, early spring night at the Koji mansion. The lake was pristine and calm, reflecting the last soft pastel rays of the retreating sun as it bent to kiss the world goodnight. The woods were just beginning to bloom behind a tall form, curled comfortably in the lotus position. He wore a cream shirt under a loose, green jacket. His long, kaki clad legs balanced perfectly on a smooth rock as a soft breeze ruffled his lovely blond hair. He opened his lavender eyes to gaze once more at the quiet scene, and saw also the silhouette of another spectator to nature's wonder. His auburn haired friend was dangling his legs in the newly thawed lake, the hems of his knee-length blue jean shorts wet from the rippling water. 

Cye didn't even seem to notice the chill in the air, or the water, as he sat straight and relaxed against the fading light. His robin's-egg-blue zip-up hoodie was open, allowing the white tee-shirt beneath to be fanned by the twilight breeze along with his rusty hair.

Above the peaceful vista, a tall boy in a light, navy sweat suit gazed at the sky, eagerly awaiting the first stars. He lay atop the roof of the only human structure in sight -- a large, wooden home -- his unruly, azure hair held out of his long face and sparkling cerulean eyes by his customary indigo band. All was right with the world. Nothing was unnatural or threatening, nothing could go wrong. Tomorrow, the world could go to hell and they might die defending it, but tonight was wonderfully, perfectly theirs to enjoy. Or so they thought.

"RYO!" A small boy's large voice squeaked. It was a harbinger of doom all present knew far, far too well. They had learned early to abhor that sound.

-----

Ryo had been setting the last fire of the season, his long sleeve red and white shirt comfortably tight on his nimble frame, as were his faded blue jeans. His mop of obsidian hair still reached his shoulders as his bright, blue eyes shone in the newly kindled blaze.

"Come on, Kento, leave the twerp alone."

"Hey! I am not a twerp! Kento, put me down!"

"Aw, come on, you make such a good dumbbell!"

"KENTO! hahaha RYO, HELP ME! hahaha I'M TICKLISH!"

CRASH!!!!!!

Kento, in his yellow shirt and dark blue jeans, his sapphire eyes sparkling beneath a saffron band holding back his cobalt hair, had caught Yuli up during a video game and had been tickling him while swinging him around when a lovely porcelain vase hit the floor. Hard. At which point Yuli, likewise, hit the ground, though his was a little softer landing than that of the vase.

"Kento! Yuli! RYO!!"

"Hey, what're ya yellin' at me for, Mia? I didn't do anything." The fire ronin yelped in supplication.

"EXACTLY! Besides, I have to yell at you, it's tradition, I always yell your name!"

"She's got ya there, bro." Kento whispered, thinking himself off the hook as he snickered and inched toward the door, away from the mess.

"NOT SO FAST! Kento!! RYO!!!" As she had turned back to the retreating form, the very air seemed to tremble, and Kento suddenly disappeared! She stared in shock for a second before shifting her gaze to Ryo in disbelief and supplication just to find him falling backwards, towards the fire. Before she could react the young leader was swallowed by the flames, leaving a small puff of black smoke above the flickering fire.

Silence reigned over the house for a moment, but then was broken by a muffled cry from the roof. Yuli, eyes streaming, tore out the door in time to watch a dark shape against the veiled sky slip silently towards the lake, but no splash confirmed any entry into that murky world.

Sage gave a cry of his own once he had seen Rowen had not made it off of his perch save to vanish, literally, into thin air. Then Sage, in his turn, still openmouthed in shock, was also gone. Yuli fell to his knees, calling the guys as Mia came behind him with shaky steps and supported herself upon his slumped shoulders, staring with unseeing eyes.

But the events of the night had not quite played out, as Yuli's attention was torn from his grief to his glowing t-shirt! He reached up a tiny hand to try to encompass the oddly shaped jewel around his neck, but it too vanished with his touch, like sand grasped too tightly.

--------

All was as it should be at the Kido mansion. An unusually warm spring day found Hyoga and Ikki sparring, and although the fight was just getting interesting, no one was watching except Seiya, who got to take on the winner. Princess Sienna was napping in an armchair, her white gown flowing around her and her purple hair cascading down the delicate arm which supported her head. Shun was meditatively staring out the window from his reclined position on his bed, his accustomed green shirt and suspenders stretched as one arm was bent under his slightly tussled emerald hair. Shiryu sat dozing in his white mandarin suit, a small olive-colored book held open on his lap by his limp thumb. But, as all good things must end, the silence was short lived.

"Hey, you little monster!" The lilting accents rang through the house. Sienna was unceremoniously yanked from her beach vacation with her grandfather. Hyoga's flying kick became unbalanced, and when Ikki's now distracted block didn't work quite as well as intended, they ended up a heap on the floor. Seiya, too, was on the floor, with laughter. Shiryu dropped his book on the table, saving his place by leaving the binding up, and simply rubbed his temples in exasperation. Shun, however, barely avoided falling off the bed in his surprise. Almost as one, five annoyed voices took up the tired refrain as Seiya still lay giggling and catching his breath.

"Kiki! Leave Tatsumi ALONE!" Most of them adding what they'd prefer have happen to the block-headed bodyguard under their breath, and all returned to their business. Then, things got a little weird. Tatsumi had brushed himself off and collected his pompous self while escaping a certain "little nuisance" when he came across the fading figures of Swan and Phoenix!

"Ikki, what are ya doin', man?" Hyoga's accent was trembling slightly as he surveyed the strange dark aura which had suddenly enveloped him.

"It's not me, I swear!" And, as if to prove this point, the Swan and Phoenix clothes simply appeared around their owners!

"Wha. . ." Seiya's confused cries were cut off as the Pegasus cloth came flying, unbidden, to him, and he simply. . . ceased to be there!

"Princess! Princess!" All self importance gone, Tatsumi let out a rather high scream for so big a man and scrambled out of the room as a now very awake Sienna came running. Kiki, in his turn, rushed to the study for solace, but arrived too late.

"SHIRYU!" The redheaded tike could do nothing. No sooner had he reached the doorway, the fully armored Dragon had just flickered out! Kiki ran back to Athena and Tatsumi to find out that Shun, too, was gone. And it would be a very long time before his questions could be answered.

----

A tired female voice cut the darkness, dying on the still air of her prison "They're here." She stated simply.

"Well, so much for our little plan. They got caught just as we did." A male voice growled irritably.

"Actually, this is working out perfectly. Except that these bars are driving me crazy!" Another higher masculine grumbled.

"A web that can hold a spider. This is a twist. Is her spell really so hard to break?" A deeper voice hissed.

"Of course it is, Sekhmet, or we wouldn't still be here!"

"Relax, Dais. We have to trust the Ronins and the Knights. I'm certain they can defeat this witch. We've seen how tough all of them are! Besides, how can she stand against forces that have defeated Tulpa, and a god?!" The girl's voice rejoined confidently.

"Easily, considering she's a goddess. Or at least has the powers of one." Dais snapped, then lowered his voice as he continued to mutter to himself into the stunned silence. "I've never seen a riddle I can't solve, and soon I will have all the answers I require about her, as well. Once I do, I'll have a better idea of what must be done. But there are several things that don't add up!"

Any further attempt at conversation was ceased by a creaking from afar and the room was suddenly choked by illumination. Finally, those captives other than the Warlord of Corruption were able to see they had been held in black, individual cells, each suspended from the ceiling by a thick steel cable. Also for the first time they were able to note the ebony ceiling and walls, and guess at the dark, quickly receding floor.

"It appears the pleasantries are over. She is making her move at last." A green haired man hissed.

"Yes, now the fun begins." Dais replied, a mischievous smirk spread across his angular face. It was the first time he'd had occasion to give any look save one of simmering rage, Cale noted, in quite some time.

"Why don't I like the way you say that?" The wolf warlord asked the Warlord of Illusion as the latter feigned innocence.

"Because while we're counting on the other's, we have a part to play as well." Kayura replied grimly.

"So we're going through with it." Sekhmet stated rather than asked.

"Of course. We might as well assist. It's not like we have anything better to do." Dais grinned maliciously.

"Oh dear." Cale replied under his breath. This smile, he quickly decided, was far more fearsome than any death glare the white-haired Warlord had given yet.

-----------------

There you go. I'll rearrange the story a little bit, and it looks like it's heading in a different direction than I originally planned, but it's still the original, more or less.


	15. Loose Ends

**Author's Note:** I have the Steel Knights in here because, quite frankly, I like those guys, and there's so little to them, they're hard to screw up. By the way, I came up with the Mia and Sienna sections because Inda wanted more about the girls, and if you ask me, it's a better story for it, regardless of how you feel about those characters. This is a hint: ask and ye shall receive, and make a very happy author, usually. I'm still working on fitting in the romance, though. One out of two ain't bad, right Inda?

Loose Ends

"Erishkigal!" Back at the Koji mansion, Mia had been frantically searching her grandfather's files for some answers. 

"Did you find something, Mia?" Yuli leapt to his feet and rushed over from where he'd been consoling a very depressed White Blaze. The tiger, too, had his interest peaked and followed the boy to the computer.

"After the party last fall, the boys mentioned a force of cold fire. I couldn't find anything that can cross dimensions and has that kind of a power base. Then, I came across this Sumerian myth! Ereshkigal was the goddess of death and the underworld, and was originally a goddess of the sky, who married the sun god!"

"A goddess? That sounds really dangerous. Do you think they can handle it?" The small boy trembled slightly, but his eyes remained dry.

"You're absolutely right in that a goddess will be tough, but we have to have faith in them! They'll figure something out, they're the Ronin Warriors, remember?"

"Right! And we'll find a way to help them, right Mia?"

"Right."

---

"I wish there was something I could do!" As revelations come to one mansion, another was thrown into chaos. A white clad figure, her amethyst hair streaming behind her, paced agitatedly across the floor. "I thought the Graude Foundation could track anyone! So where are they?!" Sienna screamed in frustration for the third time at her flustered staff as they bustled about the command center.

"Please, princess, have patience." Tatsumi nervously soothed the ranting royal. "We can track almost anyone on earth, but they aren't on earth any more, so that makes tracking them a little trickier."

"How can something like this happen? How can something just barge in and kidnap people from my own home! Again!"

"Princess, we may have found something!" Athena's ravings were cut short, thankfully, by one of the men scanning the monitors. "We received a message from the Steel Knights."

"Put them through!" She practically lunged forward, terrorizing the poor attendant who'd been unfortunate enough to receive the information first, as Daichi's little face popped up on the screen.

"Okay, Princess, Doctor Mamori has something. Basically, it goes from weird to weirder, and I'll let you decide if it's good or bad. As we were scanning for the cosmos of the Knights, seeing as everything else wasn't working, we established they are definitely in another dimension. There is some wicked powerful force holding them there, too. And, check out this message that seemed to be sent to our computer." The screen went black, then bold, white, Japanese kanji began to scroll across it.

_"Searching. . . Searching. . . Results:  
_  
_Erishkigal: Sumerian goddess of death and the underworld. . . married Nergal, the sun god."_

Daichi's voice continued to be heard, though the message remained on the screen. "It went on and on, but this entry was highlighted. It was all jumbled up, like some kind of code, written in symbols on the keyboard, not letters, but the doc translated it and picked this part out."

"Yeah," Sho's voice piped in, "We think this has some connection to where the Bronze Knights could be!"

"But we don't know how or why we got this." Ushio concluded darkly as all three faces reappeared on the screen. "We're sending the message to you now."

"Oh! I hate secrets!" Sienna repeated. "What does it all mean, indeed." She gnawed her lip worriedly, lost in thought, as she resolutely continued to pace the floor.

"You got me, but I sure hope we can hurry up and find out!" Kiki squeaked, forgotten in his corner. Mu had already been contacted, as well as Roshi and the other remaining Gold Knights, but they could do nothing to help. This was the first lead anyone had, and no one knew what to do with it! The situation had greatly subdued the normally energetic boy. "I just wish I knew they were all right." He said softly to himself.

--

Seiya opened his eyes to fire. As he looked around, he realized something equally disturbing. He was in a volcano! Lava surrounded him, but didn't burn him. He was comfortably warm.

'What the heck is going on? Is this some kind of dream? I think my friends might be in trouble. For that matter, I think I might be in trouble.' He wondered as the scene changed to a very dark cave. Then, two whirlpools. Then a forested mountain. Then, finally, something he recognized! A stunning panorama of space, where Pegasus, Draco, Cygnus, Andromeda, and Phoenix were brighter than any other stars, before he was once again thrown back into the volcano.

Although the scenery continuously changed around him, he stayed calm, almost like he was waiting for something. A cool observer of a motion picture, not a participant of a play. The scenes sped their rotation and a twinge of pain shot through him each time! It felt as if what he was seeing was trying to take something from him.

'What is this?' He thought in confusion as he doubled over, feeling like someone was tearing him nine ways at once. Pegasus panicked slightly when an unfamiliar voice called his name. He focused his blurred eyes on the faint, approaching figure and it seemed to dim the background and the pain until all Seiya could see around him was a dark grey-blue. Pegasus realized for the first time that he was wearing Knight's cloth while the drab space brightened with pastel hues of pink, green and yellow now that the new comer stood before him, the stranger's red hair swaying in a breeze Seiya couldn't feel. The man was about Shun's age, a little taller than Pegasus, and dressed in teal-greyish armor, partially covered by a gold-trimmed brown tunic.

"I am Anubis, formerly the Warlord of Cruelty."

"Formerly? What do you mean by that?"

"Suffice to say, we are none of us what we once were. My colleagues are not nearly what they appeared to you, either. I think you'd actually like some of them, had you met them at a better time. You are needed, now. I came to give you something that will help you both defeat your true foe and be recognized by your allies. I am trusting you, as leader of your team, and as a guardian of your world, with an object of great power. I am trusting you with something that is very dear to my friends and I that we went to great pains to procure and protect. It is yours, until you see fit to bestow it on another. I trust your judgment, from what I have seen of your character. I have watched you with some interest, Pegasus."

At this, Seiya realized that Anubis carried around his neck a strange, well, jewel. It was an unusual shape -- like a tear drop that had been twisted about a string. Suddenly, the jewel flared with a white light so bright that the brunette's vision left him. He heard the former Warlord's voice echo in his mind. "Go back to them, Seiya of Pegasus. Your friends and mine need you. Beware of Ereshkigal, she's not what she appears."

At last, the young warrior's eyes shot open, and he found himself in a bit of trouble.

------------------

I originally had that last part as Ryo's dream, but then felt I was making the story too Ronin centered. Also, Ryo's bit, when it was Ryo's bit, was first, but I decided that was rather anticlimactic. I like it this way better. Don't you? he he he.  
Thedifferent spellings of Ereshkigal (Erishkigal) is not a typo, there are just two ways to spell her name. The one I prefer is the less commonly used, so I thought any research about her would probably turn up the more common one.


	16. Golden Inferno?

**Author's Note:** Okay, once again, this chapter has had a bit of a change from it's original posting, as it is now from Seiya's point of view, literally. I'm going to extend the action section so I don't have two chapters of pure introduction and exposition. You'll thank me if you read the first draft. And if you didn't, doesn't the boys meeting by working together against a common foe sound better than meeting after defeating a common foe? I thought so.

**Golden Inferno**

Pegasus was in a black, stone chamber illuminated by brilliant blue-white torches. The light was dispersed by a thin, grey mist spread throughout the room. Seiya was floating about fifteen feet off the ground, quite securely chained to an almost invisible yet very hard and sturdy material in an upright position, arms outstretched, legs together. 

Directly in front of him was a more muscular and less conscious young man held in a similar position to Seiya's. This was truly how the Bronze Knight could tell anything of his own restraints. But what most earned Pegasus' attention was the stranger's armor. It was orange, and somehow uncomfortably similar to that of the Warlords'. It seemed intimidating, even discounting the sturdy staff strapped firmly to the young man's back. Over the right breast was a gold insignia on a black background. It appeared to be a stylized version of the warrior's own helmet. For some reason, Seiya had the sense of earth from the husky fighter.

Beyond burly, Cale also hung suspended, his head down and his weapon across his back. 'I suppose this means that they aren't the ones behind this. I hope that's a good thing.' Seiya bit his lip worriedly as he continued his glancing appraisal of the strange room.

Above Seiya's right hand, Pegasus could see a boy with a few strands of black hair escaping his red helmet. He bore two katanas, not unlike those Sekhmet had used. His symbol was four diamonds forming a diamond of their own, displayed on either shoulder. His build was closer to Seiya's own, somewhat slender but with unmistakable strength underneath. Seiya was a little surprised that while the bigger boy and Cale _looked_ far more like Ikki, there was something about this red-clad figure that _felt_ to Pegasus like Phoenix. There was a definitely dangerous quality, a burning power just below the surface. Seiya made a mental note to watch his step until he'd learned more about these people. Across from the fiery young man was Shiryu.

Below and further to the right of this "pair", a very tired looking Dais had his head resting on his chest. His white hair shadowed his abnormally pale features, and his weapons were just behind him, yet well out of reach.

Below Seiya's right leg, a slender boy was resting in similar straits. His armor was pale blue, his sign a simplified yin-yan, and his weapon a spear with three prongs, the two outer of which were wickedly curved, while the center was stunted. In fact, it was only because of the weapon that Seiya could tell the boy's device at all! His build was lean, even compared to Pegasus and fire-man, but Seiya somehow knew messing with him was about as smart as ticking off Shun. Across from blue boy was Ikki. Seiya couldn't help musing that Phoenix managed to look angry even in his sleep.

On the upper left hand of the orange guy was Shun, and below him, Hyoga. Across from the gentlest Knight was a green clad boy with a sword very similar to Cale's, which did not help Pegasus in feeling any better about this situation. His shoulder bore an upside-down lightning bolt as token. A thick lock of gold fell between his closed eyes. Despite the obvious similarities in coloration between the stranger and Swan, Seiya thought the sworded blond's features closer to Shun's -- delicate to the extent of being feminine. This did not make Pegasus doubt for a minute that the fellow knew full well how to use that nodatchi of his to cut just about any opponent to ribbons. In a weird way, Seiya was almost reminded of Shaka by the other blond.

Across from the Siberian was another blue boy. This time the bearer was tall, a lock of dark blue hair softening the effect of a long, pointed helmet. His emblem was one of an arrowhead with three tails, again emblazoned on his shoulders. Fittingly, his weapon was a very compact bow, from what Seiya could make of it.

To the left and between these two sets of fighters, Kayura had her pretty head down as if asleep. And she looked exhausted. Her jitte were gone; in their place a gold staff glowed dimly from her right hand, despite the fact she too was restrained in the same fashion as everyone else. Her grip on the object was just about the only thing assuring Pegasus that the young Empress was even alive!

'This is too weird.' Pegasus muttered finally as he struggled with his bonds. 'Uh oh. Looks like I got something's attention.' No sooner had the words come to mind, the light mist began gathering between himself and hefty, taking the form of a woman in silvery garb with obsidian hair flowing behind her. When she spoke, it sent shivers down his spine.

"Ah, my little pony wishes to be free. Can't have that." She crooned.

"Ereshkigal, I take it." He replied coldly to the sugary tone, his temper simmering at being called little and pony in one breath.

"Aren't you the clever one. Like that one, over there. But you weren't supposed to wake up yet!" Seiya glanced quickly at Dais, following her gesture, then returned his gaze to the woman, her crimson lips drawn in a cocky grin across her pale face. Her eyes were very, very red. "You see, this is my little party. We are celebrating my coronation to a brand new title -- Queen of Every World. You and my other guests are going to give me a wonderful present. The Golden Inferno Armor!" She exclaimed, settling in the air between and above the larger boy and himself.

"The WHAT?!" Pegasus couldn't help but scream, his gaping mouth continuing to gesture without adding any further articulations from shear disbelief. ''Is she crazy, or should I be worried? And why do I always have to find this stuff out from the bad guys?! Shouldn't being a good guy come with a manual of abilities, or first dibs on info, or something? And why is Kayura shaking?!'

"That does it!" But before Seiya could say anything further, the other female's voice filled the chamber.

"Ronin Warriors, TO ARMS!" As the Empress called, not only could Pegasus now see she had been laughing, but her staff began to resonate, and glowing kanji appeared on the foreheads of the strangers. It seemed even the Warlords had symbols that flared more dimly. These kanji warrior's, upon awaking, also developed glowing bubbles, somewhat like cosmos, in the same colors as their armor. On top of this, when these aura's touched his friends, their cosmos reacted and glowed gold until they, too, had awoken. But the strangest part was that Pegasus now realized the Jewel from what he had assumed to be a very twisted dream was hanging around his neck, glowing and resonating with the staff.

Amid the screeching laughter of the fog-like freak-show, everyone found out their chains were not breaking any time soon!

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? Who are you?" Ikki started with a bellow, but his voice lowered menacingly once his eyes leveled on the woman's as she turned to face him. It seemed to Pegasus that Phoenix almost bristled, like he was convinced suddenly that there was a threat.

"Where are we?" Shun queried in a gentle, almost drowsy voice before catching Ikki's soft, dangerous tone and looked up sharply, fully awake. A rustling around the slight Knight told Pegasus the Nebula Chains were also bound.

"Oh, I didn't tell you, little lamb, your darling toys won't work against my barrier."

"My. . . hey!" Andromeda called indignantly, turning his attention from his chains to her with a glare.

"Are we sure she's sane?" Yin-yan asked no one in particular with a mildly amused and somewhat confused British accent.

"Of course, I'm perfectly sane, little fish."

"If you call one more thing little. . ." Helmet began to retort irritably for the warrior Seiya assumed to be orange-armor's friend, but was cut off in turn by their captor.

"And what, little mole?" Ereshkigal goaded "You'll threaten me some more?"

"MOLE! What the. . ."

But hefty's rant was once again interrupted by a polite yet cowing tone from an unexpected quarter. His steely violet eyes flashed a warning as sword boy turned them towards the woman. "Listen lady, what do you want from us?" His low voice fairly growled, bringing a surprised yet somehow approving look from Ikki, and a lopsided grin from arrow head. Even Dragon sported a bemused smile, but Kayura, who was still shaking -- with laughter -- was sufficiently quieted. A space of silence followed the words.

"Well, well, my little glow worm, you've grown quite a tone." While he had flustered her momentarily, Ereshkigal collected herself quickly enough. "But, you will give me what I desire. Now!" The witch's voice rang clear, filling the chamber as she ascended further above her fourteen prisoners, arms flung wide, cackling hysterically.

The silver restraints that held the fighters began to glow as her mirth subsided into an incantation. None of them could make any of it out. Finally, Kayura's staff's ringing reached its height, and the armor of the three Warlords lit with energy. Kanji flared again as the five other armors followed suit, and the golden cosmos of the Knights intensified. It felt to each that he or she was having all the energy they'd ever known sucked out of them. Just as it seemed they could give little else, and they could no longer avoid crying out, their pain subsided.

An ear splitting scream diverted their attention, and a form of earthy, natural colors materialized in the center of the formation. The ache continued to dwindle as the figure became more clear. Red hair was seen floating around a brown human shape. Energy was still being taken, but more gently now, until at last the face of the final new comer was seen and the energy flow stopped.

"Anubis?" Six boys asked with varying degrees of confusion, disbelief and joy as there could no longer be any doubt. The four other Knights shared the questioning look of the new boys towards Pegasus, while the Warlords and Kayura simply smiled. From Dais' good eye, a solitary streak of felicity graced his somewhat gaunt cheek.

"What?! How could you? My beautiful plans! HOW DARE YOU TRICK ME!" I'm not finished yet! AWAY WITH YOU!" The voice came from above, it's speaker growing immaterial as the redhead became more substantial. A sweeping gesture from what the onlookers assumed to be their captor's arm dematerialized her completely, but also sent the fifteen other people in the room flying in nine directions!

Seiya summed up the only thought anyone seemed capable of, given their surprise, with a groaned "What now?"

-----------------

Yes, what now indeed. You'll just have to wait until next week to find out, because I'm not telling yet.  
About the yin-yan / ying-yang thing. The way I understand it is, the proper spelling is yin-yan, but we Americans or whoever spelled it differently corrupted it. If I'm wrong about that, feel free to correct me and I'll do further research on my own to remedy my ignorance.


	17. Water and Fire

**Author's Note:** Hey, chapter seventeen! This is my favorite number! I can't believe I got it this far!

**Water and Fire**

Sea green eyes swept around their pale blue surroundings and came to rest on the figure before them. He was muscular in build, clothed in dark blue, white, and red with gold. . . well. . . tails! The stranger opened dark, cold eyes that burned into the light-blue clad boy. The harder fighter noticed the surprise and slight fear in his companion, and softened his gaze a little as if in apology. 

Neither pair of eyes noticed the grey mist that was slowly materializing throughout the room.

"I am Ikki, Phoenix of Athena." His voice was as friendly as a growl could be.

"Cye. Of Torrent." The oldest Ronin returned the greeting haltingly, unsure of whether he was with friend or foe, and dearly hoping it was friend. This guy was not one to be taken lightly. Not to mention, he was free!

"How. . . Oh!" Cye murmured, realization dawning on him as the other man retrieved the strange metal that had protected him before he'd closed his eyes and sent it behind him. Cye, too, powered down, and soon was likewise loose from the hold of his biting chains. The room, despite it's pallor, had been pulsing into deeper shades of purple, as if it were a structure of flesh and blood rather than the less animate creations of the earth. Now the beat waned in power and the air held a distant cry of pain before letting it drop again to silence.

"You catch on quick. I noticed before that strength wasn't cutting it for anyone, so I tried that. Looks like it worked for both of us." Ikki smiled as best he could, though a smoldering fury ignited his eyes and made Cye keep a hopefully safe distance.

"I think my friend is that way, um, Ikki." Cye said softly, hoping not to offend. He did not want to fight until he had to, and certainly not a Phoenix of any kind, much less the goddess of battle! Regardless of his personal beliefs, which did not include deities of any Western nation, he thought it better not to tempt fate, just in case. Not to mention anyone who was openly affiliated with an Ancient Greek goddess was probably totally and completely insane!

"Then we should go that way, shouldn't we? Probably one of my friends is with him. We seemed to have been broken into pairs, one from each team. I take it you're not with the Warlords?" It was a challenge as much as a question.

"That's a long story. We were enemies, but I'm not sure where we stand now." Cye answered truthfully, meeting the larger man's gaze, however cruel.

"I was starting to think you're spine was made entirely of metal. Glad to see there's more to you than just your armor." Phoenix laughed harshly, his searing eyes slightly more approving now.

"You're lucky Kento isn't here. He'd want to use you for a punching bag for that." Cye narrowed his own ocean colored orbs, then shrugged and turned to face the wall behind him, skillfully twirling his yari from his back.

"And you don't?" Phoenix wondered.

"I don't like you enough to care what you think of me, honestly. It's plain we have a common enemy, let's focus on that first. It's effort better spent." Ikki couldn't help but laugh as he watched Cye test the springy walls.

'Somehow, this Cye of Torrent reminds me of Shun, but also of Seiya, making him both endearing and irritating as all get out!' The gruff firebird mused.

Torrent's Super Wave Smasher blasted easily through the resilient material. They continued on through yet another room beyond this first before the water had the adverse effect of sending three human-shaped shadows towards the floor in a hurry! Despite his surprise, Ikki could make out two familiar figures among them.

--

Grey eyes met blue as two warriors simultaneously awoke from the strangest dream they'd ever had. Then, they in unison discovered they hadn't been sleeping. Four eyes widened in surprise, than swept their new prison. The small room was ice-blue, with no visible light source, but the walls pulsed with grey energy as if living things themselves, a slight bit of red blending into steely blue with each faint flaring, than retreating once more until the next heart beat. As the two young men awoke more fully, the chamber seemed to speed it's throbbing colors. The captives were still bound to their invisible tablets, the chains grating against green, white, and red in time with the now palpitating walls.

"This night just gets better and better. Ug." The white tiger-eyed speaker strained against his chains, his labored breaths sounding vocalizations of disgust.

"I know what you mean. This is a regular fun house." The taller, black haired boy responded, making his red-clad acquaintance wince. The speaker raised an eyebrow in question.

"Bad memories. It's a long story." The wiry fighter answered, earning a puzzled look from the young man opposite him, wearing strange green armor. "I'm thinking that you and I aren't enemies. I'm also thinking that we should probably get to be friends real quick if we're going to get out of this. I'm Ryo of the Wildfire, Ronin Warrior of Virtue. I won't be offended if you haven't heard of us -- I hadn't heard of us, either, until I got my armor."

"Well, I haven't, and I'm Shiryu of the Dragon cloth, a Knight of Athena."

"As in the greek Athena?" Ryo gawked.

"As in the goddess Athena, yes." Shiryu nodded seriously.

"Riiight. Okay. . ." Wildfire was spared from his stuttering when a mist began to gather in the ice-blue room. It took an all too familiar form, making both of the original occupants' stomachs turn.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Dragon menaced.

"Now, now pet. None of that." Her body spoke of fatigue. Her voice was hoarse and crackled with each word. Her once raven hair was now the same dirty grey as her mist. Her lips had lost a considerable amount of pigment, now holding a faint purple. Also, her lovely face had aged, wrinkles creasing it's surface like the waves of a calm day at sea. Her every movement was sluggish, and her outline less distinct.

"This won't hurt me a bit, and it will only take a moment. That was a nasty trick you little rascals played on me. Now it's my turn to win back what is mine. You are already in the realm of death, poised upon the threshold. Give up that lovely energy and I'll let you slip away into oblivion. No more worries or responsibilities, your spirits still fresh and pure, it's the perfect escape. Come. It's not like you have a choice in the matter." She spoke in a gentle tone, as gentle as could be managed by her harsh voice.

She placed her hand upon each of their chests and they found they could not reply. They watched in mute horror as a pale purple energy surrounded them, and wracked their bodies with pain. Each closed their eyes and opened their mouth in silent screams, but no matter how they struggled, the chains glowed more brightly and grew tighter around their bodies. Strangely, they felt almost as though their armor and cloth grew tighter as well.

Ryo, for lack of a better idea, banished the pulsing metal. Armor and chains fell from his lithe frame and dissolved, causing him to lose his balance from the energy drain and the shear lack of support. He rose again, swatting away the howling mist from Shiryu as Dragon got the message. With some effort, the Knight threw his cloth from him, and it reassembled behind him. Ereshkigal once again dematerialized, leaving the slightest vapor and an echoing roar of defeat.

Ryo's blue-flame eyes dulled and closed, heavy with sleep, but he shook his head to clear it and recalled his armor, gaining a second wind in the process. Shiryu, too, reclaimed his cloth after a moment of rest.

"Boy, wasn't that fun." The Ronin leader panted, clutching a splitting head ache.

"Not really." Shiryu agreed. "So, because the bonds were meant to hold energy in, when we lowered our energy levels of our own accord, we were released. We tricked it into thinking we weren't there." Dragon said to himself, completely ignored by Ryo whose mind was on other things.

Wildfire swayed a little on his feet as he crossed the room to the wall behind Shiryu, knowing Cye was somewhere in that direction. But Ryo was now regaining his strength. "I hope the others are having a better time of this than us."

"They aren't." A familiar voice made the younger men jump. "We are on the third and highest floor of her keep. Torrent and Phoenix are on this floor, the rest are below us, scattered on the other two."

"Dais, what do you want?" The boys asked in unison, surprising one another.

"To help myself, and that means helping you." The spider replied irritably. They could both tell he was in worse shape than either of them.

"Should have known there'd be self interest in there. You Warlords are certainly good at that." Ryo muttered darkly.

"Such biting wit, Wildfire. Truly, you hurt my feelings." The one-eyed man sneered facetiously.

"Good." Ryo replied heatedly as he struck the wall. It bent with his punch, then snapped back into place once his arm was removed, somewhat like a rubber band.

"Great." Dragon commented dryly, rolling his eyes. "I take it you know how far that thing can bend."

"It can't withstand an attack of any real strength. Why don't you use that nasty kick that so effectively rearranged Sekhmet's jaw?" The Warlord answered the statement directed towards him.

"Whoa, wait a minute, he took out a Warlord without a weapon? How?!" Ryo spun about to look directly into Shiryu's eyes in hopes of finding the truth there.

"Let him show you." Dais replied as he stepped from his corner and gently pushed Dragon towards the wall.

Shiryu glared at the Warlord, but silently agreed, sending a Rising Dragon through the wall.

"Oh." Wildfire replied, wide eyed. "Wow."

"Our bodies are our weapons." Shiryu explained. "Our cloth is merely meant to focus our energy, direct it and guide it. I take it yours. . ."

"Our armor gives us a great deal of our physical strength, but that's not all there is to us." Ryo assured. Dragon glanced over for any sign of defensiveness, but it was just meant as a statement of fact.

"I'm sure it isn't." Dragon nodded in understanding.

Unbeknownst to the two speakers, their white-haired shadow smiled at the conversation. The three stopped before yet another wall, but they had barely enough time to dodge as a cylindrical beam of water burst through the elastic material. The three scattered associates could just make out two forms standing in the gap

-----

"Sorry 'bout that!" Cye's foul mood lifted as worry kicked in. He rushed to Ryo's side, recognizing his friend immediately and helping him up.

"We have got to get walkie-talkies or something,. We can not keep doing this." The Ronin leader smiled as he regained his feet. Dais was back in an upright position, not that anyone was particularly inclined to help him if he hadn't been, and Ikki had helped Shiryu up.

"Yeah, we probably should find a better way to reassemble than attacking one another. And look, the third person in that equation is here, too." Torrent replied rather bitterly, glaring at the spider.

"Ha ha. You boys should be thanking us. If we hadn't given you such a hard time, you'd never have gained the strength you now have. You owe us your lives." The Warlord brushed himself off indignantly.

"Because you tried to kill us?! Next time you want to do us a favor, do us one and don't!" Ryo shot back.

"You as confused as I am?" The Knights muttered to one another, watching this exchange with wide eyes, keeping a respectful, and healthy distance. After a moment, Shiryu decided to break the stare down.

"I'm Shiryu of the Dragon cloth. Ikki, this is Ryo of the Wildfire, Ronin Warrior of Virtue."

The three would-be combatants' attention shifted in astonishment while Ikki replied as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Ikki of the Phoenix cloth. All I got out of him is Cye of Torrent."

"My virtue is Trust." Cye answered coldly after another moment.

"Whose virtue is trust." Phoenix smirked at the smaller boy.

After a few rolled eyes and an uncomfortable silence, Wildfire spoke again.

"Anyone else worried that that was too easy?" Ryo queried.

"Me." Four voices responded, each one at a different level of enthusiasm.

"You are growing more astute, Wildfire, I am impressed." Dais replied dryly as he began to walk in a new direction. "Now instead of a lucky, impassioned boy, you're a lucky, ardent young man." After a thoughtful pause, he softened his statement and added. "That's a compliment, by the way, as all men by nature are entitled to the occasional idiocy of the stronger emotions."

Ryo just stared at the Warlord, openmouthed. Shiryu and Ikki stared at the Ronins, finding their expressions most entertaining.

"Shall we continue?" Dais asked without turning back. "She is recouping, but don't think leaving this floor will be as easy as getting around on it. The others must find one another, and our attacks must be in unison if we are any of us to get out. The catch, is, of course, in order for any of us to have the power to take her down when she finally confronts us, we can't waste strength on going up or down."

"Wait a minute, so you're saying we can't communicate with the others, yet we're supposed to be able to work in unison?! How. . ." Shiryu's question was cut short.

"We trust them to be getting the same advice, and attack as soon as she shows herself. We can expect the others to do the same, and all that's left is the hope that she shows herself to all of us at the same time." Cye explained, reading the plan in the Illusion Warlord's eye.

"Humph. I think I like this one, even if he is an annoying runt." Ikki laughed.

"Watch it, pal. . ."

"Easy, Ryo. Let it go. We need both of you in one piece, it's not worth it." Torrent waved a dismissive hand as he tiredly plopped down. "Right now, I have a headache, and I do not want to start this all over again." The water Ronin sighed as he buried his face in his hands. Ryo looked with concern at his older friend, glared at Phoenix for a moment, than sat beside Cye. Dragon also sent a look to his fellow Knight, saying without words "What was that for?" Ikki just shrugged and smiled.

'This is going better than I planned' A shadowed figure chuckled to itself, watching the boys with amusement._  
_  
-----------------

Well that was a nice long chapter of nothing. Oh well. It's a lot better than the first drafts of this section. Just trust me on this.


	18. Air, Metal, and Light

**Author's Note:** You can all breath a sigh of relief. This chapter is a little shorter than the last one.

**Air, Metal, and Light**

Steely violet eyes opened slowly to meet soft blue. Even the room was a pale shade of that color, but the blue that was of the greatest interest belonged to the eyes of a green-haired, pink-clad young fighter. At least, Sage assumed his companion was a fighter. 

"Well, I guess we should start with hello and go from there. I'm Shun of Andromeda. It seems we're in a similar predicament, and that we're not exactly enemies, even if we're not exactly friends. Yet." The young man's voice was sweet and sincere. Sage smiled in return, but couldn't help wondering 'What kind of warrior is this Shun of Andromeda? He seems so gentle.'

"I am Sage of Halo, and I couldn't agree more."

"Good to see you boys up and about!" A cackle resonated through this touching moment and drew the attention of the young men to a rather withered hag who had appeared amid her beloved mist.

"You again. Lovely. Don't you ever get tired of pestering us." Andromeda's cheerful tone turned cold with contempt. Halo was taken aback by the shift in character.

"Oh, you've grown a mouth as well. I really shouldn't have put you two together -- he's such a bad influence. We must do something about that." She stretched out her withered hand, causing the green-clad chest to glow pale purple. Shun could see Sage was in pain, but the blond couldn't make a sound for some reason!

"What are you doing to him?! Stop it! You'll kill him!" Andromeda called in horror as he suddenly realized the witch was draining Sage of his strength.

"Oh, but that's the idea, little lamb. Come to the slaughter, it's your turn now." She cooed, reaching her other hand to graze Shun's chest. His cloth tightened about his body as the chains holding him began to pulse. He tried to pull away, but there was nowhere for him to go. As his energy drained, he somehow knew what to do. He tucked his spirit within himself, pulling it back from it's usual residence within the Nebula Chains and let his whole body and mind give in to a kind of light sleep. Immediately, all that held him faded away and a distant scream of defeat echoed in his fading ears.

Sage watched as his Andromeda enacted the idea that had come to him seconds before. It seemed to be working, so he decided to try it. He banished his armor, letting it flare than fade with the chains, and fell to his knees. The boys' attacker fled with an anguished cry as Halo quickly reclaimed his armor and caught Shun before the shorter boy hit the ground.

Andromeda felt strange arms shaking him gently and roused himself from his nap. He opened his heavy eyes and smiled at Sage.

"Looks like that worked out okay for both of us. Are you all right?"

"Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself? Can you stand?" Halo couldn't help but marvel at his new acquaintance. The blond was rather reminded of Cye's gentle character, but also of Rowen for the sheer lack of thoughts of self in his new friend.

"I'm fine. Just took a little. . . what do they call those, now? Power nap? I think a friend of mine. . ."

"Is behind you, on the other side of that wall somewhere. I know. I think one of my friends is with him."

"Well, then, we should go to them, I guess." Andromeda had now completely regained his feet.

"I suppose we should." Sage agreed, watching with interest as Shun sent the strange chains around his arms towards the wall. The material stretched to compensate with the pressure, so Andromeda rotated the chains, so that each was spinning individually as well as rotating around each other. The barrier was done for in no time.

"Neat trick." Sage commented.

"I've always thought so." Shun agreed.

"What took you boys so long? I was starting to think I'd actually have to come and get you." A dark haired,, female figure smiled sweetly at them on the opposite side of the wall.

--

Cerulean eyes opened slowly to take in the paler shades of that same color. Directly opposite their owner was a young blond with white and blue clothes and ice colored eyes.

"Well, it seems we're in this mess together, we might as well get acquainted. I'm Rowen of Strata."

"Hyoga of the Swan cloth. I take it you guys aren't behind this, and aren't with the Warlords." East met West in the clashing of the accents.

"Right on both counts. We're definitely not looking for any more enemies, especially since we thought the Warlords and Kayura were on our side. Apparently, we thought wrong. But now that we're all in the same boat, I'm not so sure." Rowen got lost in thought, and unfortunately dragged Hyoga with him by opening his mouth to speak his mind.

"In other words, you're as confused as I am about this mess." Swan smiled rather ruefully.

"Yep. Totally and completely." Rowen shot back a trademark grin.

"Aw, what a Hallmark moment. So sorry I have to break this up, boys, but you have something that I want." The room darkened, then began to pulse as a figure formed from the light mist that had seeped in while the warriors conversed.

"This brings whole new meaning to woman troubles. And I thought Kayura was bad." Rowen muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Lady, I don't know who you are or what your after, but I think I can speak for all of us. . ." But Hyoga was interrupted by a peal of laughter as grey fingers brushed his white breast plate, causing a sharp intake of breath on Swan's part as he closed his eyes as if in pain.

"And who do you suppose "all of us" is, hmm, dove? You're little friends will soon enough be mine, so you might as well give in to me. That way you won't have to be alone. Wouldn't that be a pity?" Her sly grin and painful implications brought the Siberian's icy gaze to full blast as he swallowed the waves of agony and stared her in the eyes to learn the truth of her words. She was a bit startled by the intensity, not having experience with the nobler emotions and what power they can lend.

"Hey, what do ya mean? What are ya doing' to him? Let him gah." Strata, too, found himself unable to speak as he winced in pain from her touch. His chains pulsed and tightened and he felt certain this was going to be a very bad day. He struggled vainly for few seconds before he got the idea to try something new.

'The armor is reacting to this lady's power, too. Maybe that's the key. . . if these things are meant to drain energy. . .' Rowen's mind wasn't focusing as well as he'd like, but he was still pretty confident in his plan. And it worked like a charm.

"Wha. . .why you little. . ." Ereshkigal was none too happy when Strata was suddenly free, his armor gone. Hyoga opened his eyes to see what had upset her and his swimming vision focused on a dark-haired boy in street clothes. If that was Rowen, he had an idea.

"That could have been worse." Swan panted as he reclaimed his cloth, the echo of their enemy's defeat still ringing in their ears.

"Yeah, I hear ya. I think the others are okay, too. She was just messing' with our heads." The now fully armored Ronin concurred.

"I take it we go that way." Hyoga pointed to the wall behind Rowen.

"I think that's as good a way as any." Strata agreed, grabbing both bow and arrow in one smooth motion, but he still wasn't fast enough for Swan, who'd already sent an unhealthy dose of Diamond Dust at the wall, which was then pulverized with a light tap.

"Or we could do that." A wide eyed Rowen gaped. 'I'm impressed.' He couldn't help thinking as he finally tore his gaze away and looked down at his arrow. 'What he was going to do with it now.' His amused thoughts continued.

---

"Kayura." The two voices sounded as one, exhibiting the same tone of exasperation.

"Don't get too exited, now." She pouted, crossing her arms and tilting her pretty head to the side to better look at Halo and Andromeda.

"Don't worry." They once again spoke in unison.

"I don't suppose you could tell us what's going on?" Sage asked after the three had walked a few paces.

"Yes, actually, I could, but I'm going to wait until we find the others so I only have to tell it once." She replied cheerfully as the wall in front of them shattered and two figures in blue stepped through the hole.

"Hey, Sage, I see you've made a new friend, too. Mind introducing us?" Rowen smiled at the blond, ignoring Kayura.

"I am Shun of the Andromeda cloth, a Bronze Knight of Athena." The green-haired boy replied.

"She's a he!" Strata exclaimed before turning bright red. "I mean. . .uh. . ."

"Smooth, Strata. I remember you had that wonderful grasp of the obvious even when we first met." The young woman smirked, stifling her laughter.

Sage, meanwhile, had a firm hold on the bridge of his nose as he seemed to be in the throws of a magnificent headache, his face also touched with rouge, even when he finally spoke. "Sage of the Halo armor, Ronin of Wisdom, and I think it would be wise if I speak for my friend from now on. He is Rowen of Strata, and his virtue is Life Force. Its lack of being a virtue might help explain a few things." Lavender eyes finally raised to glare at Rowen, but Strata's attention was wholly on Swan.

"Easy, Hyoga. It's no big deal. Even Seiya and Shiryu joke about that sometimes." Shun laughed nervously, placing a steadying hand on his friend's arm. "He's Hyoga of the Swan cloth, a Bronze Knight like me." Andromeda explained to the Ronins, trying to change the subject.

"They do?" Swan wasn't biting.

"Yeah. They say I look like Sienna, from certain angles." His tone was a bit sharper now, but he softened and smiled. "I guess they're right, but I didn't say that."

"I wouldn't dream of telling them." Hyoga smiled back, letting go of most of his anger towards Rowen; thus allowing Strata to breath again. Halo also began to regain his paler complexion.

"Now, are you boys ready to get down to business?" Kayura queried from where she reclined in the corner, examining her nails. "I have a lot to explain, I suppose."

-----------------

Yay! I didn't have to keep on typing "blue"! Last chapter, that word got a bit repetitive, because I'm not creative enough to come up with synonyms.


	19. Hellos and Goodbyes

**Author's Note:** Well, we've come to yet another climax. Enjoy.  


Hellos and Goodbyes

Reddish brown eyes fluttered open after a stunned moment. Their owner was in a pale blue room, still chained, and facing the orange-clad boy from earlier. 

"Did any of you get the license plate of that train?" A somewhat deep but still boyish voice asked the shadowed air as the sound of clinking metal assured its owner wasn't any better off than the first young man.

"Indeed. Those things really should be better marked, Hardrock." This amused voice was far more familiar to both of the other occupants of the room. They looked down to watch a heap of metal and fabric rise from where it had been so rudely acquainted with the floor and regain it's proper alignment.

"Anubis!" The two said as one while the red head laughed.

"Who else? How are you both? I don't suppose you've been formally introduced. Kento, this is Seiya of Pegasus, a Knight of Athena. Pegasus, Kento of Hardrock, a Ronin Warrior." The older man explained, gesturing to his companions in turn. "Kento and his team have long been aquatinted with us, but not as allies, I'm afraid to say. Seiya and I met in the merging of the worlds."

"Huh?" The two boys once again spoke in unison.

"I came to him in a dream. And as for the Warlords history with the Ronins, it will have to wait for another time. It's a bit of a long story. For right now. . ."

"You'll not interfere further!" The smooth, feminine voice rang from above them as she descended, swatting the reinstated Warlord of Cruelty away as if he were a rag doll and settling between the two victims.

"OH! Why does it always have to be women?!" Seiya exclaimed as he struggled with his bonds.

"I don't think she's really a woman, just a monster, and monsters get hammered if they mess with the Ronin Warriors!" Kento called back, his dark blue eyes leveled on his assailant as he, too, strained against the chains.

"Wait a minute, we're. . ." But Seiya was not allowed to finish voicing his revelation.

"Now, now, I'm going to make this horsey a quiet pet. Be good, or I'll break you!" She warned, her eyes flashing red. Seiya writhed against his constraints, then getting a hold of himself, he smirked through the pain as he sent his cloth away. It patiently waited for him to reclaim it, reassembling behind him, Anubis noted.

'I'm impressed.' The Warlord mused. 'I expected this one to be a little thicker -- he seems so much like Hardrock in most other ways. Speaking, well, thinking of which. . ." The redhead glanced over at his huskier comrade to find Kento's eyes, at first squinting in pain, widened when he noticed Pegasus was free and un-armored. Hardrock must have then decided he might as well see if the latter caused the former. It did. Ereshkigal was gone with an unsteady note of defeat.

"Shall we find the others?" Anubis didn't wait for an answer, instead turning on his armored heel, he started towards the wall and threw the blade of his kusarigama at it. An energy wave was emitted from the weapon that crumbled the pliant material, revealing a very put out Warlord of Venom.

"I was about to do that, you know." The snake pouted, before a broad, somewhat smile broke across his reptilian features. "Well, at least we know you still got it. It's been a while. I was a little disappointed you were so easily defeated -- to think, our former fearless leader beaten by that pompous Badamon! Even if you were the youngest."

"Well, so sorry to take the fun out of it for you! And you had to know I wouldn't be able to leave you alone for long. We all remember what happened the first time I tried that!"

"Ha ha. I hate to interrupt this touching reunion, but he's not the only old friend in need of greeting." Cale's smooth voice was strained with fatigue, but his eyes were bright with tears as he faced the younger man. "Forgive our blindness, Lord." The Warlord of Darkness knelt in supplication.

"There is no need for such titles. As you said, we are old friends." A very surprised Anubis offered a hand up to his comrade. Meanwhile, Sekhmet's hand was occupied with removing something from his eye, his face averted to better grasp it, whatever it was. The snake changed the subject hastily without turning back.

"Well, I suppose we had best be finding the others. They are above us. Dais, Torrent, Wildfire, Dragon, and Phoenix are further away, probably on a higher level. The rest are closer -- probably only one level up."

"We must let them do for themselves. This is perhaps the best way for the two teams to get acquainted." Cale replied. "Besides, I think we could use a break. It's Kayura's turn to do something this time."

"Um, guys. . ." Hardrock finally spoke, gaining the undivided attention of all three older men. Seiya and Kento, until now, had been mute observers, feeling both forgotten and very out of place.

"Pegasus!"

"Hardrock!"

"Sorry!"

Sekhmet, Cale, and Anubis at last were snapped completely back to their surroundings. They had tried to focus on what was going on, but only now were able to truly turn from the strange dream reality had become.

"I suppose we had best get started with those long stories, hmm." The Spring Warlord replied sheepishly after a moment.

-----

"Here we go again, no rest for the wicked, as they say." Dais intoned, his head still leaning against the wall and his eye closed as if in sleep.

"I think it's rest for the weary, but in your case I'll agree." Cye shot back. Phoenix had sensed her power growing, but said nothing. Now he rose, followed by Shiryu. Wildfire had been lost in thought, and almost didn't even hear Dais. He reacted to Torrent instead.

"Huh. . . Oh!" Ryo was on his feet in a flash, katanas in hand.

"Welcome back, Wildfire, I was beginning to think you'd left us for good. Pity." Dais cooed, smirking.

"Shut up." Four voices enjoined as they readied themselves for a fight.

At last, the dirty mist began to shape itself into the familiar, hateful from or Ereshkigal. Her beauty was gone now replaced by a far more fitting repugnance for a creature of such malignancy. Now she could not make herself as corporeal, the strands of mist remained somewhat transparent and blurred her outline. Her hair billowed out around her, grey tentacles of filthy air. Her skin was pasty and wrinkled like the waves on a calm sea. Her face sagged, her eyes like coal with only the faintest hint of red, and her lips were so pale a purple they seemed already touched by death.

"I have not yet been defeated! You still can not escape here alive!" She rasped, her voice trembling with age and hoarse with fatigue. There was a wildness about her, a desperation, that still made her a force to be feared, but also almost to be pitied. But all such softer emotions would have to wait.

"Flare Up NOW!"

"Phantom DEMON!"

"Rising DRAGON!"

"Super Wave SMASHER!"

As the Flare Up Now soared through the air, a great bird materialized in it's front, making the rest of the attack seem like a Phoenix tail. The Red Bird gave a battle call as it was joined by a great dragon of water, which roared in answer. The two beasts twirled around each other in a beautiful, deadly dance before careening into their target.

-----

"That was a lovely rest, but it looks like she's regrouping." Kayura's head shot up from her chest, bringing the others to their feet.

"How can you tell?" Hyoga asked, still trying to let all he'd heard about these Ronins sink in.

"She's here." Shun replied, his chains finally reacting.

"So this is it." Rowen murmured softly, meeting Sage's gaze.

"Let's get this right." Halo agreed.

"Don't think you have beaten me yet!" The voice seemed far less centralized than before, but deeper and more ominous, even if it had aged and was more labored. The young warriors decided not to wait and find out what it meant.

"Diamond Dust!

"Thunder Bolt CUT!"

"Arrow Shock WAVE!"

"Nebula Chain!"

Each of the individual crystals formed for Hyoga's attack was merged into a droplet of light from the Halo armor, making the two glow a brighter white. Once touched by the green band of energy and it's precious cargo, the mist actually froze, creating a large, many sided, murky crystal on the ceiling. An arrow turned energy screamed from it's bow, entwining with the Nebula Chains. Silver and gold played upon one another, brightening the shards of the crystal as it shattered from their impact.

-----

Below these two confrontations, Ereshkigal had also appeared to the final group, and they, too, were doing their part.

"Black Lightning SLASH!"

"Snake Fang STRIKE!"

"Pegasus METEOR PUNCH!"

"Iron Rock CRUSHER!"

Black and red swirled, merging into one power. The earth beneath them was rent as with the sound of beating hooves, and the Jewel of Life flared, catching those above in cushions of light as the keep collapsed. The mist was demolished, and the fifteen fighters disappeared. Dais noted with some satisfaction that they left behind a crumpled female figure with long, black hair and dark skin.

---

Yuli and Mia had been working at the computer all night to no avail. They'd found no further evidence of this Erishkigal or what she could possibly be after. As Mia became more fatigued, her frustration also rose. Yuli couldn't help but turn his thoughts to the past as he fingered the Jewel of Life under his cream colored sweater. Once Mia had pounded the keyboard in frustration three times, Yuli finally spoke the thoughts that they'd both been afraid to verbalize the whole time the guys had been gone.

"I wish Anubis were here. He'd know how we could help." A long silence followed this assertion. Mia stared at him in shock, her anger momentarily checked, replaced by unwelcome, though happy, memory. She collected herself, pulling her pale pink skirt taught out of habit, she responded.

"Well, he isn't. And besides, we've managed to help them on our own before. We will manage again. We have to."

"Yeah. But still. . . Huh?" As Yuli looked back after hiding the tear that was making its solitary trek down his cheek, he noticed Mia was hard to see for some reason. He stood up quickly, gaining the full attention of both Mia and White Blaze, before the whole room was bathed in golden light. As the light faded, the room was left empty, reminding one of a modern Pompeii.

---

Sienna and her scientists had been completely confounded by the cryptic message. Its origins and validity seemed insolvable enigmas. They had been unable even to think of a way to contact the sender. And it was all getting on the young goddess' nerves. Severely.

"There has to be something we can do! We have the most advanced computer system on the planet, the best minds in the world, and we're sitting here doing nothing! What's wrong with this picture?"

Luckily for her technicians, they were spared answering the still pacing princess, when her cosmo expanded and extended around Kiki who had been following her in an attempt to relay yet another hair-brained scheme his tiny mind had latched onto. The pair were bathed in a beautiful golden aura, nearly causing Tatsumi, who had been standing helplessly at a distance, arms permanently fixed in a placating gesture, to feint on the spot. But he recovered quickly enough to rush towards her. The blustery bodyguard was incapable of even finishing her title before her own exclamation of surprise left the room speechless. The girl, the boy, and the man were gone without a trace!

-----------------

Yes, that was majorly different from the first post. Before, they went straight from the ceremony thing to wherever they are now. Aren't you glad I added everything else? You don't have to answer that, naturally, but if you'd like to, please do.


	20. Explain, Please!

**Author's Note:** Okay, exposition chapter, feel free to take a nap. Sorry, guys, but it had to go somewhere!

**Explain, Please!**

As the ten bewildered boys took in their new surroundings, three very shrill shouts rang out simultaneously, causing almost everyone present to jump.  
  
  
  
  
  
A. . . ANUBIS!!  
  
The first was naturally a mini brown haired rocket that nearly bowled the Ronin leader over. The second was a very. . . unusual looking red streak that did the same to a rather astonished Dragon. The third was from a hesitant, trembling Mia. Yuli gaped at the tall redhead his unofficial adopted mother was facing, noticing him for the first time, as Mia took several cautious steps toward him.  
  
Is it. . . is it really you? The auburn haired woman stammered, but upon seeing those familiar, gentle eyes and that same smile, she surprised herself, not to mention everyone else, and fairly flew to him, giving him a strong hug.  
  
It's so good to see you again. She explained, blushing, as she pulled away, hurriedly wiping a tear from her eye.  
  
I hadn't noticed. Anubis answered wryly.  
  
Okay, who are you, where are we, and WHAT IS GOING ON?!! A lovely girl with long purple hair screeched indignantly, causing the Knights to simultaneously exclaim some variation of an address to her, and sending Yuli scrambling around Ryo. Once he was assured of his shield, the child peeked out at the newcomer, reminding one of a toddler clinging to his mother's skirt.  
  
Not another freaky lady! He finally exclaimed, trembling slightly.  
  
And what. . .  
  
Gentle Princess, Dais interjected. Calm yourself. Do not mind the child, he's a nuisance, but he has his redeeming qualities. The white haired man sent a wink towards the fire Ronin and his charge before continuing. Please have patience. All will be explained. We got you involved because you are the guardians of your dimensions. The Ronin's we're well acquainted with, and we have learned the hard lesson not to underestimate them. On the other hand, we still thought it better safe than sorry, that is why I kept you in the dark and tested you earlier. I like to know the present, not rely on the past. The white head bowed in apology to Ryo and the others. As for you Bronze Knights, we knew several disturbing facts; you have the power to challenge the gods, you are devoted only to protecting your goddess, which generally ends up protecting your dimension as a result, and your goddess is at high risk.  
  
Goddess? Another goddess? Why don't I like the sound of that. Mia responded darkly, taking a step behind Anubis. She hadn't thought much of the amethyst-tressed girl when she'd burst into the scene, and now she was fairly certain her negative emotions were cemented.  
  
Easy Mia. She's not the enemy. Anubis soothed, gently taking her arm and guiding her forward again.  
  
I'm no one's enemy unless they prove enemy to me, miss. Sienna confirmed, her voice soft and controlled now. Mia returned Sienna's gaze and saw a strength there that reassured the older woman. Maybe I should give her the benefit of the doubt,' Ms. Koji wondered. It's probably been a bad day for her, too!'  
  
And that goes for us, too! Seiya called seriously, leveling his gaze on Ryo. Ryo nodded in understanding, each of the others responding affirmatively in turn.  
  
Okay. Now that you are all quite done, shall we get back to business. Anubis asked good-naturedly once each warrior and lady had had their turn.  
  
Our opponent was not Ereshkigal, Dais took his cue with a curt nod. she was a pawn, taken over in some moment of weakness, probably sleep, by a much weaker being. This spirit we were truly fighting has been taking over dimensions one by one, but now it has to start from scratch. We can't find out its name, we only know it goes for single, large sources of power within a dimension, and it's only been seen since Tulpa's fall. At this Dais bowed politely, signaling towards Kayura in a way reminiscent of a stage act, and giving one the impression that take it away, Jill should be the next words to come to the ear.  
  
We also know you Bronze Knights don't know of some of the details we've mentioned, there will be time for exposition once the current dilemma is explained. Kayura asserted, taking over. Dais has been obsessing over discovering more about this force, chasing every lead. We've been rather worried about him, so when he says we don't know, it's not from lack of looking. Anyway, to further assure our success, he infiltrated the spirit's keep and, well, left a few bread crumbs. It had already found out about you Bronze boys, and it was only a matter a time before it decided Athena would be a good target. It was having great difficulties controlling Ereshkigal's powers, but Athena is still learning hers, meaning if it could learn them for her, it would be able to use them fully. This spirit with the full powers of a goddess could be a greater threat than any we've faced, potentially. Another thing worth notice, it seems that the spirit focuses on women. Dais thought it best not to trust the knight's ability to asses their princess as possessed and fight her, and thus he was attempting to lead her to the Ronins that we might have strong, unbiased judges of the facts. Along the way, she found out about me, and attacked. We defeated her, barely, and only for a while, but a plan began to form to use her power against her.  
  
It was a stoke of genius on Dais' part to come up with a Gold Inferno Armor, I must say. She swallowed that one hook, line and sinker. Parasites always take the path of least resistance, and a piece of metal has no free will to oppose it's wearer. Sekhmet chuckled as Anubis took his turn.  
  
Meanwhile, he changed a few of the incantations in various spell books and the like around the spirit, and implanted a few false memories as well. Then, the Warlord and Ronin armors and the Ancient's staff formed the final anchor to this world. Seiya possessing the Jewel of Life was the final piece of the puzzle for bringing me back to life. Concurrently to this little process, Kayura was working on a portal here for all of us from our respective dimensions, and called upon the bond between the Princess and her Knight's spirits, or Cosmos, as you call them, to enable it.  
  
So, this whole little charade was just to bring you back? Shiryu asked incredulously.  
  
Hardly. That was a bonus. Sekhmet chuckled seeing as Anubis was speechless with surprise. This whole thing wasn't originally supposed to happen. It was meant as a backup plan if we failed to get rid of her ourselves, and its main purpose was to bring you together. You have won the battle, but not the war. The only way to defeat this spirit is to chase it back to its home dimension, and beat it there. Now, while it will be employing different tactics, it will lie low, as it has, to start from scratch. But it will also be vengeful. Let's just say we have faith in you ten warriors fighting as one team to defeat this new evil. Don't be fooled, once it rules a dimension, it is a cruel a master as Tulpa or Aries ever were. You will meet other's along your quest who may help or hinder, but for the sake of all you hold dear, I suggest you get used to working together.  
  
Right. Dimensional portals are easy for small groups, so communication won't be a problem. Also, all of you have at least rudimentary empathy within your group, if not basic telepathy. The Bronze Knights are much more advanced in this department, so time around them would really increase you Ronin's ability. Ultimately, this is your choice, but knowing you heroes, it's not much of one. Kayura smiled jokingly, but her eyes were sad, and perhaps worried.  
  
Our choice, huh? I haven't heard anything I can't swallow. Anyway, I'm always up for making new friends! Rowen slipped into his accustomed cocky grin and nonchalance.  
  
If what you say is true, and I trust that it is, we are indeed in your debt for the trouble you've gone through to negate this threat. I will trust myself to you, Kayura, you're Warlords, and the Ronins, besides my Knights. I will not speak for them, but this alliance, if they choose to form it, has my blessing. I've learned not to give orders on such matters. Sienna, with great poise, nodded to Ikki with a cheeky grin.  
  
Well, new friends would be nice, especially considering my old ones. Seiya joked as he extended his hand to Ryo, earning a glare from Hyoga, a from Shun, and a mockingly indignant cluck from Shiryu.  
  
It looks like we're in. Kiki called excitedly, getting a laugh out of everybody, but no one disagreed.  
  
So, what now? Rowen looked expectantly at the Warlords, Kayura, and Sienna, shifting his gaze from one to another, trying to anticipate who would speak.  
  
For now, Cale answered, surprising everyone. You rest. It has been a long day for us all. The spirit will not move again for some time, so it is safe for all of you to return to you're homes, though I would suggest all of you going to one dimension or the other that you might be better acquainted. And protected. We will contact you when you are needed again.  
  
Don't call us we'll call you, I like that. Sage muttered darkly, eyeing his Warlord of Winter. They're not telling us something, and with these guys, I really don't like secrets.' He couldn't help thinking.  
  
This is part of that history we don't know yet, isn't it? Shun asked, warily watching the exchange as if it were an angry beast lying in wait.  
  
How'd you guess? The two former foes replied in unison, never taking their eyes from one another.  
  
If I may interrupt, boys, I don't mind going wherever you want, but this time before I'm sent off to some other dimension for some unknown amount of time, I'd like to pack! Mia said, planting her foot firmly and gaining the attention of all present as she crossed her arms decisively.  
  
Actually, since you seem to have a history of dimensional travel, I wouldn't mind going with you to your home. I would have to get a message home so the gold Knights and Mamori don't have heart attacks, but I so rarely get out, this will be a treat! Sienna responded hopefully.  
  
It's settled then. Dais nodded curtly. That is most wise. Your dimension, Princess, has so many powers from the many different Knights, you'd be safer in the Ronins' world. The spirit is unlikely to look at a dimension with less total power first. Even with the Knights there, we should be able to mask their energy. Likewise, the Ronins have a natural barrier in that their armor doesn't exist within their world unless they call it once it finds a bearer. Don't worry about your home, either, I will personally handle assuring you're associates of your safety, and keep extra watchers on it in your absence. He finished with a gallant bow that forced Cye to subdue Kento, who was still less than pleased with this arrangement.  
  
I will stay here, friends, but we will meet again before long. Anubis clasped Ryo's arms in farewell and shook Rowen's hand in turn. Kayura opened the portal, and Knights, Ronins, children, bodyguard, princess and tiger stepped through to the Mortal Realm the Ronin's had risked so much to protect.  
  
-----  
  
Anubis! It's hard to believe that really worked! The empress exclaimed at last, the wonder of the moment finally hitting her as the excitement died down.  
  
It _is_ good to see you. Dais echoed Mia in word alone, it seemed, though indeed, his one good eye was dangerously misty.  
  
Cale saluted, putting everything into that one word.  
  
Sekhmet agreed, clapping his right fist across his heart and bowing.  
  
I told you, you need not use such formalities with me, friends. I would even, perhaps, call you brothers. We are all equals here. Anubis replied, surprised.  
  
Brothers. I think I like the sound of that. Dais said softly, his face finally wet.  
  
The boys have their work cut out for them. Kayura sighed after a comfortable silence.  
  
They will manage, even if we didn't tell them the whole truth. At which point, the Warlord of Spring couldn't help but send a wink at Dais. And we will be there to give what aid they need. The redhead finished confidently.  
  
Yes. All of us will. Kayura nodded, smiling broadly.  
  
-----------------  
  
Well, wasn't that sweet? Yes I'm being sarcastic. I tried, but these down times are hard on me. And so are the action scenes. Why do I bother. 


	21. Girl's Night Out

**Author's Note:** This is once again an Inda inspired chapter. She wanted more of the girls, so I came up with the idea for this during the first post, but never got far enough to put it anywhere. Now, I can put it here. Enjoy!

**Girl's Night Out **

"Hurry up, Mia! We're going to miss the show." Sienna called to her older friend. Once the two women had put down some ground rules and gotten to know one another, you'd think they'd been inseparable since childhood! Which was bad news for the guys, because if they got out of line, they were in twice the trouble!

"I'm coming, just a minute." The ginger-haired woman called back from far away up the stairs.

Meanwhile, as she struggled to hear the other lady of the house, Sienna was likewise trying to drown out a much closer voice. "I still don't like you going alone, Princess. Surely at least I could. . ."

"No, Tatsumi! We're doing this to get away from you guys for a while! The Warlords made it clear that whatever-it-was is nowhere to be seen. The guys really socked it to her! It. Whatever. So I'll be perfectly fine going out like a normal person to do normal things without body guards, or Knights, or anything. Besides, Kayura will be coming with us, and Mia and I have both been learning basic self defense, remember? The worst we have to worry about is normal people, and neither of us are exactly helpless in that arena." The young Athena chided the taller man, who looked quite unconvinced and rather dejected. He finally slunk away muttering under his breath.

"Self defense, ha! That's what she has me for! This isn't a good idea at all."

"Now, remember what we taught you. . ." Shiryu started in where Tatsumi left off.

"Of course. How couldn't I? You've been drilling it into me twenty four seven for days! Ever since Mia and I mentioned we wanted to get away for a bit!" She retorted, rolling her eyes.

"We're just. . ."

"Worried, Ryo? I never would have guessed! When exactly aren't you worried? We'll be fine." Miaassuredwhen she finally appeared at the top of the stairs. "What?" She asked innocently into the sudden silence once she'd joined Sienna at the bottom of the stairs. She conveniently forgot that she was hardly looking usual in a skintight yellow dress that went to mid thigh with a diagonal stripe of pink triangles, matching her earrings, starting from her left shoulder and going down to her side. Her toed, slightly heeled shoes matched the shade of pink, and her hair was loosely pulled back by a yellow ribbon. In a word, she was stunning, and a few of the boys were noticing this for the first time.

The princess, also, had abandoned her normal gown in preference of something slightly less conspicuous. She wore a white shirt that gathered at the side over a lacy white skirt with lavender flowers embroidered on it. Her shoes sported the same four-petaled flowers in white on a pale violet background.

"We're off!" Sienna grinned mischievously at the blank expressions on several of the boys' faces - including if not especially her Knights - as she pulled Mia out the door with a final wave.

"WAIT!" The voices hit the slamming door as an engine could be heard beyond it.

"You can quote me as saying this is a very bad idea." Kento muttered into his handswhile rubbing his eyes.

"Well, considering your good ideas, I'm sure we can rest at ease." Rowen joked.

"How's that?" Cye cocked an eyebrow. He was also in the process of nervously biting his bottom lip, so he looked rather comical himself.

"Simple, if he thinks they're good, then his ideas of good and bad are reversed, so his bad is our good." Rowen explained, dodging the larger boy's flailing fists. The Knights still hadn't learned how to read their friends, and were thus quite confused by Sage and Cye laughing on the side line doing nothing.

"Let them play, their not really trying to hurt each other. Kento is actually really defensive of those he cares about. He'd die before he let any real harm come to any of us." Ryo explained softly to the tense, puzzled spectators.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'd never really hurt Rowen. Unless he really deserved it." Kento smiled mid-lunge, turning towards the periphery of the mock-fight, and nearly falling flat on his face for it.

"Yeah, as long as I don't mess with his lunch I'll live." Rowen shot back as he slipped out of the room, a quickly righted Hardrock hot on his heals, leaving the Knight onlookers in shocked silence until they, too, burst out laughing. But it didn't quite drown out the noise of a door closing.

"Ryo's in one of those moods again, isn't he?" Cye asked Sage in as quiet and conversational a tone as the brown-haired boy could manage. That bit of comic relief had proved a needed respite, but now he once again fell into busying himself about the kitchen to work off the tension. He'd made breakfast as usual, but no one had eaten much.

"Yeah, he is. Just let him go. We're all a little on edge, I mean, the house is packed. Big as it is, it wasn't built to accommodate twelve people and a tiger. It's why the Warlords and Yuli are staying home, as in away from here. And why even though she came to visit, Kayura stayed in the car while the girls got ready. It was nice of Anubis to take Kiki back to his own dimension to explain everything to the other Knights, though. Plus, one less person around the house." Sage affirmed softly as he slipped into the other room with a cup of tea and sat down to read the newspaper. He was almost chatty, a sure sign that he wasn't himself, when Shiryu soon joined him.

-

"I was starting to think you'd never get out of there." Kayura sighed once the car was rolling.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, it's just I haven't been able to get out in so long, I wanted to look good." Mia apologized, glancing as she drove at the azure haired Empress beside her.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's nice to have so many people so devoted to you, but sometimes, you just want to get away. I'm really looking forward to this." Sienna agreed, almost giddy.

"Luckily my guys know I can take care of myself, so they're not so bad, but sometimes, I get the same way." The young Ancient smiled as she turned a sympathetic look towards the princess in the back seat.

"Lucky indeed." Both Mia and Sienna shot back in unison before all three burst into laughter.

-

Little did the merry threesome know, a dark figure followed close behind, flitting from shadow to shadow, watching and waiting.

-

"I'm exhausted." Kayura sighed as she collapsed onto a bench three hours later. "Who knew mortal shopping had gotten this hectic."

"The mall is a tiring place, but at least we came on a weekday. And, while there are more students here in the summer, it's not anywhere near as crowded as it could be today. You should see it during the holidays." Mia explained, cheerfully people-watchingwhile sipping a soda. Sienna raised an eyebrow.

"You're kidding me. It gets worse than this? Wow. I've never been to a mall, either, but I haven't seen so many people in one building since the Galaxian Wars!" The young princess exclaimed, starring with newly-opened wide eyes at the crowd.

"Well, come on you two, we still have a movie to catch." Mia smiled upon depositing her now empty cup in the trash. She took each of the women with her by the arm and off they went again, into the crush of people, heading down towards the theater.

-

All the while, the figure watched them, smiling a secret smile. It now had a companion on each side, but the three managed to slide through the people like a drop of water through a lake. Swiftly, easily, unnoticed.

-

After the movie, it was getting dark, and most of the mall rats had scurried home for the night. The girls approached Mia's trusty Jeep, chattering away about their favorite lines, the only people in the parking lot, though many other cars remained. That's how a shadow slipped behind them and took Sienna unawares.

"Well, well, Princess, aren't you a cute one. You ladies here all by yourselves, that's hardly wise. Why don't we walk you home. Our fee is minimal - considering we're saving your lives here from all the creeps out there, it shouldn't be too hard to part with all the money you have left and we'll even carry you're packages." A black-haired punk with a torn t-shirt and faded jeans catcalled as he took a firm hold of the purple-haired goddess' shoulder.

"Here's a better idea. Release her now and you might be able to walk away from this." A growl made the three would-be-assailants jump and turn to face ice-blue eyes burning with fury. Flanking the enraged, but street-clothed Swan was a fully armored, none too pleased Warlord of Corruption andWildfire in his subarmor. Beside this latest would-be defender, White Blaze barred his teeth menacingly.

"Hey, look, guys, we're not trying to start anything, we're. . ."

"Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Believe me, they're the least of your worries." The Empress spat at the cowering leader as he tried to inch behind her. Her eyes never left Cale'swhile she delivered a solid kick to the hapless hooligan's backside that sent him into his companions. They landed in a heap a full car length away. Mia gave a frown, placing her hands on her hips.

"Did you really have to hit him _that_ hard, Kayura? I mean, he was scared enough."

"Yes, but now hetruly knowsnot to mess with women." Sienna defended the older monarch, ignoring her bewildered knight.

"Well, so much for saving the day. Looks like you girls really can take care of yourselves." Ryo stated in wonder as he powered down to civies.

"Indeed, but still, it was better not to take that chance." Cale nodded, hiding a smile as best he could. He wasn't sure if he was irritated or amused, but the scampering of little feet, especially when they were the retreating footsteps of low-lifes, always put him in a good mood somehow.

"Better safe than sorry, especially with the people you care about. You just can't be too careful with important people in big cities." The blond boy agreed solemnly.

"Yes, you can never be sure, can you little dove?" A hoarse whisper brushed their ears like the buzz of a hornetwhile a shadow darkened on Sienna's shoulder.The cloth on hershoulder where thecreep had grabbed her had remained rumpled, as if the hand that held ithad never let go. In a way, it hadn't; a fact made tooclearas anall too familiar form wrapped itself around the startled Princess and together with herdisappeared into the night.The enemyhad been so faint a presence, not even Cale had noticed it until it was too late, andAthena was gone.

-

Muhahahaha, complete fluff to the bitter end, then another twisted cliff hanger! Because I am that evil!


	22. What Now?

**Author's Note:** Okay, another chapter with not a lot going on, I apologize, but after this we get to some good stuff again, so bear with me.  
Note: If there are any continuity errors, please inform me. I haven't been concentrating on this as much, so I probably slipped up somewhere.

**What Now?**

Once again, voices called to thin air. The small assemblage was starting to attract attention -- especially the Warlord and the White Tiger, so they deemed it best, as Athena was no longer there, to go elsewhere as well.

Get in. Mia ordered the men as Kayura took the front seat. They stared at her for a moment, too stunned to comply, but her commanding gaze ushered them quickly to their places in the back of the car.

When we get back, Cale, you're going to Dais and. . .If he can find Dais. Kayura muttered. He's been gone for a few weeks now.Oh, no. Okay, no need to panic, we still have Anubis, and maybe the doctor friend of your Graude foundation will know what to do. What do you think, Hyoga. Mia continued, making a conscious effort to stay calm as her head throbbed.

I don't know what to think. I let her slip away again. She was right there, and then gone, just like with Cale. . . maybe Seiya should have been the one to come along.Gee, you're awfully helpful, wallowing over there. Anytime you'd actually like to serve your goddess, please feel free to come back to reality. Kayura snapped, gaining a sheepish look from a rather dazed Hyoga, a glare from Ryo, and a smirk from Cale. Mia merely rolled her eyes, and glanced at Swan, who was getting a sympathizing pat on the shoulder from Wildfire.

I'm sure Dais will be back soon and know more about this than us. Cale stated matter-of-factly to change the subject. Anubis will no doubt be able to help until then, but I don't have a lot of faith in Mamori or your foundation, Swan. I doubt technology will be of much use -- it so rarely is in matters of magic.Fair enough, and you're probably right. All right, so we have a plan. How about you let Kayura and I explain this to the guys? Mia jumped in, a thought occurring to her.

That is probably wise. Kayura agreed thoughtfully as it dawned on her what Ms. Koji was worried about.

Wise? It's probably life saving. If they get mad at you, they won't do anything about it! Cale offered under his breath. Hyoga glared at him for a moment, finally snapping completely from his reverie, then realized the truth in what the Warlord had said.

Then perhaps I should tell them. He said softly, causing Ryo to take up the death glare of Cale, and once again resume the sympathetic shoulder rub.

I'm turning into Cye, what is going on here?' He mused as he realized he wasn't the one going into the depression, and he hadn't really said a word yet.

You are awfully quiet, Ryo. Mia echoed his thoughts, hoping the subject change to be complete this time.

Yeah, I guess I don't really have anything to say. The Ronin leader murmured self consciously. He glanced at Hyoga before looking out he window to where White Blaze was running along side the Jeep. Kayura looked back at him curiously, shrugged, then turned to the front once more.

Hyoga also watched Ryo from the corner of his ice blue eye. The Swan wasn't sure if Ryo and the others had just been opening up to them, or if they had really been changing in the weeks that the Knights had lived with them. The Ronins seemed somehow to get stronger and closer every day. He thought about the other Knights for a bit, then realized they, too, had learned something from their new friends. Their team work was improving, for starters. But he was pulled from his thoughts when Ryo suddenly clutched his head in pain and gasped. Mia looked into the rearview mirror. Kayura kept her eyes out the window, supporting her head and shielding her lidded eyes with a pale hand. Cale had his head back, eyes tightly closed, as if wanting to sleep off a headache.

It's nothing. Ryo grimaced, shaking his head but smiling reassuringly. Just thought I'd try something and it didn't go all that well. Ouch. He added the last word under his breath and gently shook his head as if to clear it.

Would you mind informing us what in heaven's name you were trying. Hyoga cocked his head in confusion.

He was trying to contact Anubis telepathically, and that went off without a hitch, but Anubis yelled in his head. I only caught the periphery and it nearly gave me a heart attack. Cale answered for the somewhat stunned and sheepish Wildfire.

Ouch is right! That voice of his can be rather painful when he uses it right. Or wrong. Kayura agreed, her voice still somewhat muffled by her hand.

Ookay. That's. . . interesting. Since when can you guys do that? Swan wondered, cutting Mia off from asking the same question.

Since recently. It's still an imperfect art. Before they had the basics -- they could relay general emotions and states, but not actual words. Now, they're getting better. Cale explained, still feigning a disturbed nap.

One things for sure, we don't have to worry about who's telling the guys. Ryo muttered, still rubbing his temples.

--

I told you this would be a bad idea! Tatsumi stormed once everyone was once again assembled in the Netherworld, minus one princess and two children. By the time Mia and the others had returned, Anubis and Sekhmet had joined those at the house and rounded everyone up for immediate teleportation. Now the tall bald man was pacing and ranting and being thoroughly ignored by anyone who was doing anything, which was everyone.

Well, Dais should be back soon, and have a better idea of what exactly we're dealing with. Sekhmet reassured the Knights once Kayura and Anubis had once again failed to locate the missing goddess.

That's right, and we know she's still weak, which means she won't be able to do much. My guess is that little trip into our world cost her a lot of energy she couldn't afford to lose. Cale continued, eyeing a very pale Empress cautiously. Anubis looked rather drained as well, which was most disconcerting for one who had already died of energy loss himself.

Kento called in surprise as the white-haired Warlord appeared before him.

Don't look so surprised. You should know me by now, Hardrock. The man smirked, though he was plainly irritated as he turned his back on the Ronin and knelt before Kayura. The reason you couldn't find her, my lady, is because she isn't in anywhere you would be able to look. Athena was brought to a universe of technology. He explained, cutting straight to the chase as if he'd been there all along.

Wait a minute, how did you know. . . Seiya sputtered.

It's my job to know. It's what I do. Anyway, as I was saying, she has been pulled back to a technological dimension which is different from most -- magic does not exist, and can barely coexist. There, we Warlords and you, Empress, would be mortal, and the Cloths and Armors won't work. You're staff is of an older, spiritual magic, and thus transcends this barrier, though it will still be more difficult for you to use, and Athena's divine powers will be relatively unaffected as well, though curtailed slightly. One bit of good news, the force is in its home dimension. If we can defeat it there, we have won not just the battle but the war. It will be gone for good. He paused, letting all he'd said sink in while Tatsumi noticed he had come at all for the first time.

And where have you been, you good for nothing. . . The tall man spun, turning his full wrath on the fatigued Warlord of Illusion.

I have been finding you're goddess, what have you been doing? Dais snapped, rising to face the body guard. While the pink-clad man was of a lesser build, his death glare had been perfected over several centuries, and his words cut his would-be opponent to his self-important core.

You. . . you know where she is?! The bald man asked, in stunned, joyous desperation, swallowing his pride at the prospect of finding and retrieving his mistress.

If you had bothered listening, you'd know the answer to that already. Why did you bring him along, again? Dais asked Anubis.

Because we couldn't very well leave him alone, for his own safety or that of their home. Sekhmet answered, jabbing a hand in the general direction of the Ronins while his other arm was folded across his chest.

Aw, yes, well, isn't that a pity. I suggest we rest, this force can't make a move yet. Miss Kido is quite safe for now, and none of us dimension travelers look particularly fit for traveling. The Warlord of Autumn mused tiredly as he headed towards the Palace. It's late. First thing tomor. . . this morning I'll introduce you to our new allies who are in a similar predicament, but for now, I think it best if we all get some rest.

And with that, he walked away, leaving sixteen very stunned people to stare in disbelief at where his retreating figure had been.

Well, we can't very well argue since he's the only one who knows where we're going, so I guess we're all staying here for the night. Shun recovered quickest. That is okay, right, I mean we won't be in the way or anything?What could we do if you were? Cale growled, causing Ikki to tense.

You could never be in the way, there's more than enough room for everyone. I've been thinking this castle was always too empty, this will be a nice change. Kayura soothed sincerely, smiling at Shun and leading the Warlord of Corruption away by the arm with a little more force than was absolutely necessary.

There's a democracy for ya. Rowen muttered, somewhat amused, somewhat dumbfounded by the situation as a whole.

And I wonder who these allies' are he mentioned. I don't do well in groups when I know my teammates, and he's expecting us to just fit right in with some bunch of strangers who we know nothing about and aren't even from a world anything like our own? Phoenix grumbled, still a little ruffled.

No kidding. I don't like this, either. Rowen added softly.

Well, this is a great start, the first thing you two agree on and it's to dislike people you haven't even met. Sage chided gently.

He's right, if they're in the same spot as us, they can't be bad, we should try to make the best of it, look at how well we get along with the Ronins. Andromeda, ever the peacemaker, backed up Halo to calm his brother.

Fair enough, how about we concentrate on sleeping for now. Shiryu yawned despite himself. It has to be close to one in the morning, and we've all had a rough night.One twenty one to be precise. Hyoga corrected, checking a watch Mia had given him. She had gotten each of the Knights something small when they first moved in to make them feel more at home. And actually, I'm worried about the group we're meeting, too, but I think we can only take this one step at a time.

-----------------

Who are these mysterious allies? I'm sure you've figured it out, but just in case you're reading this THAT late, I'll not tell you in hopes for a surprise next week!


	23. Mix and Match

**Author's Note:** Here we go, we're getting into another arc of this tremendously too large novel sized fanfiction. The sad thing is this was supposed to be a Halloween fic. Now look at the monster I've created! It makes me want to cry! And, more introductions. Waa.

**Mix and Match **

"Well, here we go again." Cye muttered, far from bright and cheerful despite the pastel rays of early morning. Tatsumi glared at him for daring to speak and interrupt the older man's brooding. He had been the first one up, but was kept from tormenting the Warlords by their haggard appearance. Apparently Dais was not a morning person, and it seemed Tatsumi was smart enough not to trifle with him, so baldy had to take out his aggressions on someone. Torrent ignored the bodyguard.

"Do we get any more information on these mysterious allies, or what?" Ryo asked while people were still stumbling out of the palace to gather on the lawn.

"No, I think I'll just let you meet them. Then you'll know for yourselves. They know no more about you than you of them, if it makes you feel any better." The one-eyed Warlord assured.

"It doesn't, thanks." Ikki growled. Shun looked rather like a deer in the headlights, glancing quickly from his brother to Dais, preparing himself for the eventuality of his intervention.

"You said they were like us, what exactly did you mean by that?" Shiryu wondered aloud, changing the subject while sending Andromeda a quick smile.

"They are like you the way you are like each other. Also, they too have had someone who they serve abducted by the same force that now holds Miss Kido." Dais explained. "Their princess, no less. In many ways they are her Knights, but I this will be easier to understand once you've all met."

"So let's meet them all ready, I'm tired of waiting around doing nothing!" Seiya whined as Kento cracked his fist behind the Knight leader.

"Now you're talking! Sounds like a plan to me!" Hardrock cheered.

"It would." Hyoga muttered, rubbing his eyes. Rowen gave the somewhat cranky blond a sympathetic glance before yawning at what he considered to be an ungodly hour, since it was well before noon.

"For once I agree with Hardrock. We should go." Sekhmet hissed at Dais, unusually ill at ease.

"For once I'd say you were worried about someone not directly related to your own well being. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this snake is finally shedding that tough outer skin." Cale chuckled quietly to his companion.

"Shall we depart, then? It seems we're all here." Anubis smiled as a rather fatigued Kayura joined the assemblage, completing their numbers. Dais didn't bother to wait for an answer, powering up to make a portal. Kayura quickly joined her power to his, as did Sekhmet and Cale, Anubis adding his strength last. And, before they knew it, the fifteen people were. . . elsewhere.

"This is where we're going to meet these friends of yours?" Sage questioned Dais doubtfully, gazing at the tower before them. It looked cutting edge, but ancient in design, and something about it had Halo really uneasy.

"First, they aren't my friends, but I certainly hope they'll be yours soon, secondly, yes and no. It is here that the Gundam pilots are, and it is here that you will find your goddess. Aside from that, it is up to you." The Illusion Warlord replied curtly.

"We must go work on the barrier, and Tatsumi and Mia will be coming with us. They will stay with allies from this dimension not part of the five man rescue team." Anubis replied, oddly sure of how things worked here.

"Dais told you stuff he forgot to mention to us, didn't he?" Kento asked, peeved.

"No, Dais told them stuff he chose not to mention to you. Good day." The white-haired Warlord replied as seven people disappeared entirely from the group, well before the so-named bystanders could object.

"I hate it when he does that." Shun muttered, shivering a little. A chill breeze had come through, but it was more for the emotions he was sensing in his friends.

"Which part?" Strata wondered bitterly.

"All of the above." Andromeda replied in a less than cheerful tone.

"Well, I guess there's nothing else for it but to go in." Ikki cut the banter grimly, taking a determined step towards the building.

"Everybody, on your guard. We don't know what we'll find in there." Ryo warned, parroting the thoughts of his friends without thinking. "Sorry, force of habit." He blushed a little as looks and thoughts made themselves, and the Ronin leader's blunder, clear.

Once through the door, before anyone could really get their bearings in the dark, the boys realized they had been split up.

"Well, well, well. The little warriors have finally come to claim their damsel in distress. Soon this dimension, and you're goddess will be mine. Just a little longer. But, in the meantime, I've decided to give you a sporting chance, though, little darlings. You'll find one member from the each team nearby, don't even think about trying to hook up with the others, and you must reach me before Miss Relena, the lovely former Queen of this world, dies. Her energy is so sweet, and it does wonders for controlling you're temperamental princess. As the saying goes, she can be a royal pain in the neck! Work your way to the center of the building and there I'll be, waiting for you. Good luck and good riddance, you'll never make it past the security system here without your, what's that word, mecha? But, I'd hate for you to lose without getting a decent shot at me."

Her laughter echoed in their ears, making many clutch their heads in pain. Coupled with the harsh reverberations was the searing light that now flared through every room in the building. When the boys were at last able to see, they were in for quite a shock.

---

"Who are you and what do you want?" A brunette demanded of Rowen and Ikki. The new boy was dressed all in black, except for a red shirt beneath his jacket, and wore a gold cross. His hair was pulled back into a braid about a yard long. But the most important aspect of his appearance, at least as far as Rowen was concerned, was the handgun the boy had pointed at them.

"Woah, woah, I doubt we're enemies. How about you put that away, we're unarmed!" Rowen pleaded, more worried about what would happen to the stranger if he chose to open fire than the fate of himself and his new friend. "My name's Rowen, and this is Ikki. You're here to save your princess, right? Well, so are we, kinda." He finished lamely, lowering his hands as the young man finally seemed to be lowering his gun.

"So, you're here for miss Relena?" The newcomer asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at them.

"No. We're here for miss Sienna. It just so happens saving the one saves the other." Ikki growled, rolling his eyes at the boy and his gun. Phoenix moved to push past him, catching him off guard at first, then causing him to fire his weapon. Nearly point blank at Ikki's face!

---

Cye struggled to his feet, swaying a bit. The ground had just seemed to give way, and he found himself here before he could think. 'Wherever "here" was.' He mused, berating himself for thinking of so oft used a line.

"You all right?" Hyoga asked softly, eyeing a particular patch of shadows in front of them both with far too much interest to be a good thing, Torrent decided.

"So, you are a member of this new team we're supposed to meet?" The water Ronin called without looking, taking in instead the dank, stone hall around them.

"That depends, are you the ones sent by Dais?" The voice was a soothing tenor. It's owner stepped from the shadows, wearing a blue shirt beneath what appeared to be a black uniform. He held a gun, but not as if he would necessarily use it. It stayed innocently by his side. His eyes had an edge to them, proving they had seen many hardships, but they were not altogether unfriendly. Merely businesslike. But Cye thought he could see great pain behind them, even in the half light.

"If you didn't know that already, we wouldn't be talking right now, I think. You would have either attacked us or been long gone." Swan interjected rather severely, receiving a smile from the stranger.

"You know me pretty well for guys I haven't even met yet. Most people who call me anything call me Trowa. Trowa Barton." The newly introduced Gundam pilot bowed slightly before turning. "I think it would be in all of our best interests to start moving now." He stated, green eyes narrowing at a distant rumble.

---

Shiryu stood up stiffly. His surroundings were much darker than the last room he had been in, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust. Yet he still knew immediately he was not alone.

"Sage? Are you hurt?" Dragon asked softly, helping his blond friend to gain a more vertical.

"I'm just a bit winded. Tell me, do you intend to use that gun or is it permanently attached to your hand that you haven't put it away?" The light Ronin asked, not bothering to look behind him and face the young man he was speaking to, having noticed said man out of the corner of his violet eyes.

"I think it best to be prepared for the worst when in new situations. I take it you are our new allies?" The voice was high and somewhat sweet, but there was a command in it, as well. Knight and Ronin shared a glance in the half light, both recognizing they were in the presence of a leader.

"I would certainly hope so. I think we already have enough enemies. My name is Shiryu, and my friend is Sage." Dragon explained, turning towards the new blond boy behind him. Sage soon followed suit.

"I am Quatre Raberba Winner." The pilot nodded, replacing his gun in his belt. He wore all black save for a tan shirt beneath an outer coat.

"Well, Quatre, perhaps it would be wise if we started moving now." Halo suggested, moving in front of the pilot with lightning like speed. Winner's blue eyes grew wide as he noticed for the first time what it was he was being protected from.

"I take it those aren't friends of yours." Shiryu muttered, taking in Sandrock's pilot's reaction while staring behind the boy through the darkness.

"No. And strangely, I'm hoping they're not with you." The Arab answered shakily, but already on his feet and past the Knight. "Follow me." He explained, the other two finally able to run now that they didn't have to worry about Quatre. He may be called a warrior, but they couldn't be sure how much that meant until they knew what he could do.

---

A young man with slicked back hair and a small pony tail was eyeing Shun with a less than pleasant expression. He was dressed all in black except for a white shirt beneath his suit coat. And, perhaps most importantly, he wore a sword in his belt and held a gun in his hand.

"So, you are the weaklings Dais spoke of?" He spat the name as if it left a foul taste in his mouth.

"Watch who you're calling weak, I'm Kento, the Ronin of Strength!" Hardrock called, looking ready to pounce the guy. It was all poor Andromeda could do to keep the two separated. The earth Ronin wasn't easily intimidated, even when his opponent was armed and all he had were his bare hands.

"We can handle this ourselves." The boy called again, seeming to enjoy enraging Kento.

"That isn't why we're here." The knight sounded both desperate and exasperated. "Someone we were supposed to protect was also taken. We are here to do our duty by her. I think it would be beneficial for all of us to get along!" He finally finished, his yells echoing down the metal hall ominously. Once the reverberations faded into silence, the would-be combatants followed suit, listening to a growing noise that was far less pleasant, not unlike nails on a chalk board. Or metal on metal.

"So, the security system is operating again. That could complicate things." The boy growled. "Don't get in my way!" He snapped before leaping towards them, drawing his sword.

---

Seiya looked around at his new surroundings somewhat dazedly, his gaze finally arrested by a young man, older than himself, holding a gun. The armed boy had messy brown hair, cold cobalt eyes, and wore a faded black suit with a moss green shirt beneath the jacket.

"So, you're the guys Dais said he'd send?" His voice was deep and even, startling the Knight with it's harsh tone.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Another somewhat gravely voice answered, though this one was warmer and more familiar.

"Ryo!" Seiya turned, noticing his friend for the first time. The black-haired Ronin gave a tense smile, but didn't let his eyes leave those of the guy with the gun.

"Hmph. We don't need you, but I'm guessing you can't get back without him." Said guy snarled conversationally.

"No, not really." Seiya agreed. "And we wouldn't go, even if we could. Not without Sienna." The Knight finished vehemently, bringing his left fist down hard into his right for emphasis.

"Understood. Follow me." The young man nodded briefly, then turned on his heel and strode out of the room. "I am called Heero Yuy." He continued, the chill not leaving his voice.

"Ryo Sanada, and this is Seiya." Wildfire offered, nodding, then catching himself when he realized Heero's back was turned. Knight and Ronin shared a look, Seiya shrugged his shoulders, and off they went. It wasn't long before the ground began to shake, however.

-----------------

Well, that wasn't so bad for being written in two nights. If I missed anything,or if there are any other problems, you know the drill,feel free to yell at me, I'll see what I can do to fix them. Thanks!


	24. Before Shooting Stars

**Author's Note: ** Okay, I've added a little bit to the previous chapter, so basically all the information in this chapter has been played out for the Knights and Ronins in a dream, courtesy of Dais. As well as the entire Gundam Wing plot. The boys just don't realize they know what they know yet. I hope that makes sense so you don't have to reread the last chapter, if you read it before 11/25/04! Thank you, enjoy!

**Before Shooting Stars**

Where are we? Mia asked, prying a trembling Tatsumi from her arm. Apparently the larger man was not fond of teleportation.

You are on MOIII, the base of the Preventers. And you would be? The voice belonged to a male. It was rather throaty, but had a definite chill to it. Baldie gulped audibly before turning to face the blond man with handgun pointed at the body guard.

Put it down, Zequs, you'll scare them. They're not our enemies and you know it. They're here to help. This time it was a woman who spoke. She was leaning in a corner, rolling her violet eyes. Her hair was black, and she wore a tan shirt beneath her black uniform.

You always were too trusting, Noin. The man now established to be Zechs spat back at the woman, but put his gun away all the same.

No better way to start the day than with a lover's quarrel. Dais smirked, gaining a half hearted smile from Noin and a glare from Zechs. Well now, I suppose we should get introductions over with, then get back to killing time. It seems at least you two have accepted there's nothing you can do. The Warlord continued, ignoring them both, and strangely enjoying himself.

Huh, don't think they were always this calm. The first six or eight hours, I thought Miss Noin was going to have a nervous breakdown, and Mr. Milliardo was going to break down something in his nervousness. Another woman forced a laugh, straightening a forked eyebrow while stepping from the shadows in a flowing black dress.

And Lady Une hasn't taken this well either. A little girl added rather morosely from where she sat behind the Warlords and their charges.

No, Lady Une does not take well to being unable to do anything when there is so much to do, and neither does anyone she knows. A brunette woman with a completely black uniform added looking up from her paperwork through shoulder length, slightly waved locks that perfectly framed her face.

Fair enough. Why don't we pass the time by sharing stories? Dais snickered. The blond woman cocked a parted eyebrow, the man turned away with a look of disgust, the black haired woman in the corner smiled softly again, and the lady behind the desk merely ignored him, continuing to rearrange papers.

What kind of stories? The red haired child asked with some interest. Mia walked over to the child, her maternal instinct kicking in. That's when she noticed something.

You're. . . you're in a wheelchair! The professor exclaimed, gaining the attention of all of her companions except for the Warlord of Illusion.

Yes, I can explain why she can not walk, and why we are here, if you will listen. Dais spoke more softly now. He seemed more reserved now, his mirth diminished greatly. There was a man in this dimension known as Dekim Barton. He had an insatiable appetite for power and was not entirely stable. In other words, he would have made an excellent Warlord. Dais began, smiling sadly at the self deprecation of the comment. One of his many projects was to harness a power he had come across, something that was not contained within this dimension, but had leaked into it. He only found traces, but it intrigued him enough to want to know where it came from. I don't know precisely when it happened, but somehow, a kind of tear developed here, allowing traces of the magical powers to enter this otherwise untouched dimension.Hold the phone, magical powers? We're dealing with fairy tales and pixie dust now? Milliardo rose in disgust, then turned to glare out the window.

No, you're dealing with magical armor and deities now. Kayura smiled, nodding to the Warlords. Momentarily the lights dimmed, and with the returned luminescence came four very imposing armors around the four men.

How. . .but. . . Dorothy took a step back, her gloved hand going to her mouth, her blue eyes wide with disbelief. Marquis finally turned back to see what was going on, and promptly went for his gun.

Put it away, Zechs. Lady Une commanded. Her brown eyes were also very round with surprise, but her voice was totally controlled. She remained seated and motioned for the man to lower his weapon. Dumbly, he obeyed, though it was plain he was still very much on edge.

Marimea mouthed, a small, childlike grin stretching across her delicate, wondering features. Kayura winked at her, banishing the last of the girl's fear.

We have maintained a small portal since coming here back to our world so that our own powers can be utilized here. The Empress explained, nodding once more so that the men stood in only subarmor once again. We intend to use our abilities to keep her from escaping as best we can.So, this power that Dekim found, is that what he was researching in the lab we found? Another woman asked, stepping from the doorway she'd been standing in. It seems she was about to enter when they appeared, and decided against proceeding. She was in a uniform almost identical to Noin's, but slightly paler. Her pale brown hair was pulled down either shoulder with a twisted pattern.

Yes. He was trying to harness it and find a way to get more. The white-haired Warlord turned and nodded to the woman in the door while he spoke. To reopen the tear that had allowed it in but is now closed. He created a creature in the process that took on many of the qualities of it's creator. It's ambition was absolute, so he named it Magaera, the Fury of Jealousy, because it was so difficult to control and sought out other power sources and took them over. Much like he had done most of his life. However, he was unable to control it, and so tried to eliminate the project and turn to other things.Those other things were the boys, weren't they? Noin asked softly. Her voice was also rather strong with mixed emotion

Right again. When he turned his attention fully to them, that was when his creation escaped and began causing trouble, taking over the other dimensions. He was unaware of this, believing he had destroyed it, and thus became fully absorbed in his other plots for world domination. Dais finished. He walked to the back wall behind Mia and Marimea to lean against it, then closed his eye.

And there you have it. Once Megaera failed to get me, she turned her attention to Sienna, the woman she has kidnapped that we have come to get back. Kayura agreed, kneeling to the right of the child, opposite Mia.

So, what do we do with her now? How do we defeat this thing? Milliardo asked, plopping down in his chair again and rubbing his temples. Noin silently moved behind him to massage his shoulders. Dorothy took the seat opposite the two, cocking her head and examining the man sympathetically.

We trust them, and wait until there is anything for us to do. Cale answered as gently as he could, shrugging his shoulders helplessly.

No, there is something more they can do. Dais interjected. When she returned to this dimension, for we'll just call Megaera a she after her namesake, she took over a computer, did she not?She did. It was the old base in which she was made, from what you've told us. Sally agreed, entering the room at last and coming to lean against the window behind Lady Une. Wufei and I found it, buried in one of the colonies Dekim took over. We had just converted it's technology into scanners and were using about to use it for a new base. Miss Relena was there for a kind of christening. The pilots were called from their civilian lives to be her body guards one last time. We didn't fear the base, we feared the nut cases that might show up for the party. Pacifists make dangerous and persistent enemies in this dimension. Noin, Milliardo, and I were supposed to be the only ones actually working, since we didn't even really expect that to be a problem. We thought we were being too careful. I guess we were wrong. She turned away to stare at the sleet outside the window, biting her lip.

The point is, she took over a computer. So, why don't you hack into it? Dais asked innocently, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The room fell into a shocked silence as most present watched the Warlord of Illusion with an interesting mix of feelings. Milliardo and Dorothy seemed somewhat disgusted. Noin and Sally were more curious. Marimea; Mia, and Tatsumi looked rather hopeful. Lady Une, however, was very doubtful. The rest of the Warlords and Kayura were just confused.

It's the most advanced computer on the planet. . . The former prince began bitterly, but was cut off by a smiling white-haired Warlord.

So it will be a challenge. Mia can help you, she's good with computers, and so is Tatsumi, believe it or not. His world has rather advanced technology as well, and he was surrounded by the most sophisticated systems in his world. So, the sooner you put your heads together, the sooner you can get in and be of some assistance. The reason you couldn't get through before is because it wasn't just technology you were dealing with, miss Catalonia, Dais cut Dorothy's protest off. We will be able to keep her from shielding herself with magic, now. You should be able to get through, if you're willing to try.I'll help! Miss Koji and Tatsumi chorused enthusiastically, seizing the opportunity to do anything.

Then I suppose it's worth a shot. What have we got to lose? Lady Une mused, nodding in agreement and motioning for those under her command to take their stations.

And, we can share stories while they work. Anubis smiled and winked at Marimea, making the girl giggle a little.

Yes, it wouldn't hurt for us to get to know one another. Who knows how long this will take. Sekhmet growled, rolling his large, colorless eyes, but smiling all the same.

-----------------

I'm afraid I have no head for numbers and don't know the locations of the colony clusters in comparison to each other or where they orbit above earth, so if my writing seems sketchy on the subject, that would be why. I hope this little plot twist makes sense with the manga, I have never read the official version, if there are inaccuracies that must be addressed PLEASE tell me!


	25. Life and Death

**Author's Note: ** Hello again, long time no see! Sorry for the wait. I will be finishing this, eventually, but I can't gaurantee when the next update will be. Once I have the final chapter up and everyone who reveiwed me before reviews me again, or I recieve some other confirmation that all of you have read it, I will be removing this fic. Over the course of writing this, not only my skills have improved (though you can't tell it from reading this) but my grasp of the canon has also gone up, and I realize what a bad idea adding the Gundam pilots was. I hope to eventually revisit this and keep it a Saint Seiya / Samurai Troopers fic, probably entitled Saints and Samurai instead. When that will be coming, I have no idea, but there you go.

**Life and Death  
**

The roar of the gun mixed with an almost inhuman growl from Phoenix and reverberated against the metallic hall. The sound held Rowen fixed in place, watching in wide eyed horror as the somehow surreal scene played out. Ikki had in one motion both caught the bullet and hit its target.

Wha! Wha. . . What are you? Duo squeaked, watching the crumpled metal cylinder drop from the Phoenix's hand while a robot behind the Saint likewise crumpled and hit the floor.

Don't. . . do. . . that. . . again. Ikki answered. The blue-haired man glared for a moment at the gun Duo now had pointed at Phoenix's head in earnest before the Knight pushed past the trembling pilot as if nothing had happened.

You're pretty good if you saw that thing coming, even if you were facing it. It must have had some kind of cloak, right? I was only able to sense it. Rowen patted Maxwell consolingly, lowering the boy's arms and guiding him after Ikki. That wasn't the only one, as I'm sure you know, so we should probably keep going. We can talk later. Rowen reasoned wisely, somewhat amused by the pilot's stupor.

He. . . he caught a BULLET! With his BARE HANDS! He can not be HUMAN! Duo sputtered after a few steps.

I am a Knight of Athena, I am very human. Though we have certain gifts that are not normal to most humans, we are still human. Now, are you coming? Ikki shot back, hearing every word despite the fact Duo's half mumbled rantings were nearly unintelligible.

You'll get used to it, I'm sure. Rowen smiled mischievously.

Are. . . can you. . .Most likely. I've never tried. My opponents have never had guns before. They were a bit more. . . traditional. Rowen winked, feeling rather bad for the paling pilot. After hearing this, Duo stopped dead, facing Strata with wide, blue eyes. Which, for him, meant they took up half his face. He gulped, took a few deep breaths, and seemed to calm down.

So, you two are frea. . . superhuman, and I'm stu. . . blessed with you as my partners. So far we seem to be on the right side, so if I don't change that, we all get what we want, and I should just enjoy having less to do. Does that sum it up? Maxwell stumbled a bit, wisely curbing his usually sharp tongue for once.

Yep, sounds about right. Rowen nodded, not taking offense to the slips. Ikki made some strangled sound the Ronin assumed to be snort. Thus, Strata made certain, even when he and the pilot were catching up, that he could easily get between the two.

It's not that I don't trust Ikki. It's that I don't trust his temper. Especially while there's so much else to grate on his nerves.' Rowen rationalized silently, keeping a sharp, dark blue eye on each of his companions.

Before long, a rather apprehensive Duo slipped past Ikki to take the lead. And was closely followed by Rowen. Before Phoenix could question the change in traveling order, the pilot hacked open a small door in the side of the corridor.

We can get to where we need to be a lot quicker if we go through here. It's a system of easy access passages for maintenance personnel. We're going to be doing the maintenance of cleaning out that old hag and getting the people she has captive back to where they belong, so it's perfect. Maxwell was smiling, but his tone was hard and sober. The Knight examined the three foot opening with disgust.

We're supposed to crawl through there, where we can't defend ourselves, we can't be sure what's on the other side, we can't be sure if we'll be able to get out again, and we can't see our noses in front of our faces for the dark? Not to mention, we are in enemy territory where they have the upper hand anyway? This is your best route? I'd hate to hear about your worst. It was plain Ikki's accustomed rage was already simmering. Something had Phoenix really worked up, and it wasn't hard for Rowen to guess what. Phoenix's temper was about to go off if something didn't defuse it fast.

No, it's not my safest route, it's my quickest route, and right now time is of the essence. I don't like it either, nor do I have a death wish. But, honestly, I don't see what you're worried about with your special abilities. I'm the one who is very human here, even compared to my friends. But I want to do what I've come to do, and I do think this is the best way to do that. Duo's gaze leveled on Ikki, his normally jovial tone cutting through the air like a scythe.

Well, getting yourself killed in taking such a chance won't help, so how bout we use the runner up? We'll follow where you lead, but you're the one who knows what we're doing here. It would help us to keep you around. Rowen reasoned, then knelt quickly pushing Duo out of the way of an attack from the darkened opening.

That's not like the last one. Ikki growled appraisingly from across the hall. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed before his chest by the time Rowen had crumpled the mechanical scorpion.

The long way it is. Duo concluded shakily from his sprawled position on the floor. He was busy eyeing the metallic tail of the security bot that had nearly taken Maxwell's head off. The now-visible, grey metal had an eerie, purple glow at it's tip that told Duo the cut alone would have been the least of his worries had he been struck.

Rowen smiled while he helped the pilot push the scrap metal back into the tunnel and close the door.

I suppose this means they're closing in on us from every other angle, too. We'd best keep on our toes if this place has more than one model. The Knight offered, glancing casually down the hall in either direction.

I'll tell you what else it means, the security system is able to upgrade itself. There weren't supposed to be any other types of bots here. Duo explained, dusting himself off and taking off down the hall. If we're going around, we're going to have to move fast, we don't want to hold the others up. Maxwell called back to the rather opened-mouthed Knight and Ronin. They set off after him at a light jog, sharing an amused look at their new friend's definition of fast.

The corridors continued in straight lines, but the unending string of corners made them seem to twist and turn about each other. Ikki was having trouble keeping his sense of direction, and Rowen was getting a little dizzy. To pass the time, per Duo's request, the boys related to the pilot the events of the past with as much brevity as they could muster, not wanting to dig too deeply into many of the more painful memories. Then, once this was done, they fell into silence punctuated only by Maxwell's heavy breathing.

Does this place ever end? Strata asked, taking in once again the same smooth, white walls. He was vainly grasping for some way to tell those he now saw apart from the seeming millions that he had passed before.

Yes, it just takes forever and a day. That's why I wanted to use the short cut. It went just under the floor, so it could go in a straight line. The pilot puffed over his shoulder, his braid swinging in time with his gait and in front of his turned face like a poorly-weighted pendulum.

Now I can see why you wanted to take that way, too. Phoenix muttered.

No worries, we're almost there. Amazing there hasn't been any further activity from those creepy crawlers. Maxwell murmured to himself as he turned a corner and immediately regretted his lack of prudence.

Haven't you Gundam Pilots learned not to tempt fate, Duo? Rowen chided as he grabbed the boy's arm to pull the pilot behind him, away from the newest assailants. They had all three, needless to say, stopped dead in their tracks upon rounding the bend.

I'm a little slow when it comes to life-lessons, sometimes. I've always had too big of a mouth for my own good. Deathsythe's pilot agreed, looking rather pale while surveying the mess of trouble before him.

We've noticed. Ikki growled, although a small smile was on his lips. At least he'd get a chance to work off his aggressions.


	26. Play Nice

**Play Nice**

Well, this isn't the easiest path, but it will serve. Trowa apologized, ushering the two warriors through an electronically operated door he had hacked open and closing it once more behind himself. There are some areas of this facility that were damaged, both by its previous owner and the recent struggle, and this is one of them. If we can get into the main system at strategic locations, however, it should weaken this place's defenses enough that we can take it down. We're heading for the east point, which is the lowest. I suggest we expect everything, anything, and nothing, since this is now enemy territory, we can't trust any data we had. The pilot warned, glancing at the flickering lights of the new corridor.

Wonderful, so we have to navigate an enemy fortress without even being sure we know where we're going or how to get there? Hyoga summed, rolling his icy eyes. This should be a walk in the park. What are we waiting for. Trowa deadpanned, pushing past the Knight to take the lead once more. Swan's sarcasm was not lost on the pilot, from what Cye could read of Trowa's twinkling green eyes. Something about Barton reminded the Ronin of Ryo. Or Sage. Torrent couldn't tell which.

Why is it so wet around here if we're on a space station? Mouri spoke, breaking a short but comfortable silence.

Probably there's been some malfunction in the water storage system, since this area seems to be more heavily damaged than the others. I think the tanks are around here. Remember, space stations, as you call them, or colonies, have to be self contained. Barton answered, dodging a loose pipe in the ceiling.

Well, we certainly can't complain about being kept on our toes in this place. Hyoga muttered, narrowing his eyes to focus on the far off screechings.

Those bots won't come here. That's one thing in our favor. This area is too wet for them, they'd short out. It would be too much of a risk for the inhabitants if they didn't have some kind of a self-preservation instinct, and Dekim found that good slaves were hard to find. Trowa smirked, but his eyes had a cold, far away glint to them that nearly gave Cye shivers.

Fair enough, but we still have to get across. Cye pointed out, pulling Swan back before he stepped into a puddle. The shallow pool of wall to wall water wasn't the problem. The live, loose cable in the water was

That explains the weird noise. Hyoga mentioned somewhat shaken, noticing what Cye was pointing at and nodding his thanks.

Barton gave an apologetic look for having assumed they'd notice before contemplating the ceiling. How good are you two at climbing? He asked out of the blue.

When you can't go through, go over, huh? But there isn't much to hold on to. Most of the grips aren't there because they're supposed to be, but because they're broken. Cye thought aloud.

Do you believe in luck? Trowa asked in reply. Because the guys I call friends are probably the luckiest in our universe, and I think that if you were sent to us, you're lucky too. You're lucky in a way that says you're not meant to die in a place like this, doing something as stupid as climbing over a puddle. I'm going to trust to that luck to get me over and get the door open for you. If you want to find a better way, feel free to catch up. If not, I'd still appreciate it if you wait here.Can't argue with that. Hyoga smiled at the determination in his new friend's eyes.

Well, actually you could, and rather easily, but I take it we're not going to? Cye rolled his eyes, trying not to laugh.

I won't if you won't. Swan nodded, winking. Cye crossed his arms, shaking his head in mock exasperation.

It's agreed then. Trowa didn't even bother asking before he took a step back and leapt onto the nearest part of a pipe that had fallen through the damaged ceiling.

The pipe piece swung with Barton's weight, and the metal groaned in protest against the strain. Trowa gracefully used his momentum to flip to the next exposed place where he had a handhold. It was a section of intact, smaller pipes. Unfortunately, these did not take well to even his small body's load, and buckled. He began to slip, and couldn't get enough of a grip to move to the next patch.

For a the onlookers, it was a heart-stopping moment when his grip came loose and he was falling. Then he kicked off the wall and grabbed hold of the edge of the ceiling, which crumbled, but gave him enough leverage to grab another, larger pipe. All the while, the metal pieces behind him murmured among themselves, remembering the sting of his audacity. When he finally reached the far door, he flipped upside down, holding both the ceiling and a pipe with his knees, and began working on hacking the door. Then, he noticed something strange beside him.

You can come down now. Cye said sweetly, smiling up at the pilot.

How did you. . . Trowa had nearly lost his perch in surprise, then he noticed the auburn haired boy had managed to grab hold of the cable. It was narrow, and most of the rubber insulation was still on it. Only the end was frayed. As for where the thing had come from, Trowa could only guess. It was almost as if the building itself was testing them or something, but playing to their strengths, too.

I feel rather like a rat in a maze. Heavyarm's pilot grumbled, doing a small flip in the air to land on his feet, barely making a splash. Barton took the cable and carefully tied it to a pipe overhead so that its end was far from the metal. He then immediately set to work on the door once again, and it opened within seconds.

I take it that wasn't what you were hoping to see. Hyoga offered, standing behind the others and gazing at the mess of pipes and wires that lay beyond the door.

No, it wasn't. And I think we'll have to take another route. We're going to go up a bit sooner than expected. Trowa replied softly, motioning for Cye to step aside. Barton knelt, soaking his pants from the knee down. He seemed not to notice the chilled liquid while his hands searched the wall. The system that was supposed to control this door blew out when the water came in. It's a kind of maintenance shaft, but I don't have the tools to open it manually. The pilot confessed with a shrug, standing and glancing to either side to see if he could improvise anything.

Let me try. Hyoga offered, inspecting the small door. Cye came to the blond's side, curious. If only I could get a grip on the edges of it, but this thing is flush to the wall. Swan muttered after several unsuccessful tries.

Maybe this will help? Torrent offered, having worked a pipe loose from the ceiling while watching Hyoga's difficulty.

Maybe it will. The Knight agreed, flattening one end of it with his fist.

Perfect. I think I can finally be of some use. Trowa nodded, asking for the lever without words. Hyoga placed it in the pilot's outstretched hand, and Barton had soon opened their new path. It was a narrow shaft with rungs along the far side. There was no light except for what entered from behind the three friends, and it looked far from inviting. The water sliding in through the opening made an eerie echo that did little to ease their minds.

Nice team work. The Knight laughed, following Trowa up the ladder, having no clue of what to expect when they got where they were going. Cye gave the hall one final glance before bringing up the rear, a sense of uneasiness settling in his mind and heart. He missed the two invisible eyes watching them coldly from within the darkness of the open doorway. He felt them, but ignored the tingle in his spine. A mistake that would cost them dearly.


	27. In the Dark

**Author's Note:** Um, hi? Anyone still out there? Sorry about the long delay. Writer's block + college + summer school + burn-out very annoyed and unproductive Laural Rose and even worse off readers. Yep. I'm going to go hide before anyone comes for my head now that I've shown my face around here again. He he.

**In the Dark**

Quatre led them down the corridor at breakneck speed. Or, at least it was breakneck speed for Quatre. For the other two it was more of a leisurely jog, but it still kept them ahead of the searching claws of the security bots. Until Winner turned a corner and found an ill-placed dead end.

"I'm guessing this wasn't in whatever specs you were using to navigate this place." Shiryu commented dryly, turning to face the mechanical monsters. He wasn't particularly concerned. Just annoyed at having to bother with them at all.

"Yes and no. This door is only supposed to close in an emergency, to block off one section from another. But there is nothing in either this section or the one beyond that warranted this, as far as we could tell. If we want to get through, we'll need to blow the mechanism." The pilot answered, hurriedly inspecting the electric lock.

"We're in luck, then. The pinchers on these things give off an electric shock!" Sage called after a grunt of pain from his discovery. He had somehow disabled the invisibility shield without shutting down the machine.

"So if we can. . ."

"Got it!" Quatre answered Dragon's unfinished thought while the door opened with a momentary, shrill alarm, after which silence reigned. Sage had taken care of the rest of the creatures while Shiryu wrestled one of the few that was still in one piece over to Winner. Quatre guided the guard's appendage into the control panel, shorting the door and thereby opening it. Both Knight and Ronin were showered in tiny cuts and burns, but any bleeding had already stopped.

"They don't move very fast, but they have so many sharp edges, you could hurt yourself even if they were standing perfectly still." Halo grumbled.

"At least we don't have to worry about tetanus here in space." Shiryu smiled grimly, gazing into the darkness beyond the doorway. There was a turn immediately after they entered, so he could guess how much of the already dim light of their hallway would get through.

"Worry about what?" Quatre asked, glancing back from where he'd been carefully scouting the path. Date and Dragon shared a look and a small smile before pushing in front of him.

"Nothing, let's go." The Knight smiled.

"Yeah, you tell us where we're headed and what we're looking for, and we'll get you there." The light Ronin chimed.

"You guys can see in the dark?" Winner wondered.

"Something like that." Shiryu nodded, not bothering to go into detail as he continued confidently around the bend.

"If I could use my armor, it would be about now that I'd unsheathe my sword and then we could all see just fine. But, as it is, we have to rely on our other senses. I was taught to never rely too heavily on one sense or another. It is too risky; an opponent or an accident could too easily damage your senses. A warrior must read the world around him with his whole body, as it is his whole body that must respond to an attack. Shiryu has been trained similarly, though through more drastic means." Sage supplied. Quatre caught on that said drastic means were an unpleasant experience and didn't push, though something in his memory triggered, and for some reason when he closed his eyes, instead of simply seeing black he saw two green, disembodied fingers reaching out as if to blind him. He shuddered and blinked rapidly to clear the image, but said nothing, oddly sure he understood the proud Dragon a little bit better.

The three walked in silence, listening for any sign of danger. Quatre stumbled from time to time on loose debris and broken floor, but Sage always caught him. Halo was now a step behind Sandrock's pilot, feeling it wiser if Shiryu and he flanked the weakest fighter. The Arabian's eyes were just starting to adjust to the total lightlessness when the Knight came to a very short stop, causing Winner to run headfirst into his guide before Date could grab the shorter blond's arm to stop him.

"What is it?" Winner wondered, trying to peer into the gloom enough to make out what was troubling his new friends. Shiryu kept Quatre at arms length behind the Knight, as if protecting the pilot. Sage shifted his weight and stepped forward slightly, but said nothing. Quatre decided to trust the judgment of the other two and remain silent, as well, however uneasy the quiet might prove.

"There are a lot more of them here. I think we can still take them with relative ease, but I worry about the traps." Shiryu whispered finally.

"Don't, I'll handle those. You keep them busy." Sage cut in, his voice growing an edge to it that Quatre was unfamiliar with. It sounded like ice, splitting the air and chilling the pilot's lungs, even though the Ronin had done little more than whisper. Something about the current situation had rubbed Halo the wrong way, and he was fully battle-ready as a result. Quatre conjectured it had something to do with whatever traps it were Shiryu had mentioned. Sage struck him as a man who valued honesty and could judge pretense with ease. Probably duplicity and artifice didn't sit well with the violet-eyed young man.

"I have a theory on why we are encountering this patch of activity. It could well be we've stumbled across a kind of nest. Or, perhaps more of a factory. Anyway, this could be the robots' source. I was hoping our opponent would pick a different location, but apparently I was wrong. Or right, however you care to look at it. I can help you will those traps -- I think they are actually just part of the building process -- and I can conjecture the where part easily enough from the layout of the corridor and the way in which these monsters must be built. That should free you up to take care of those already completed, should it not?" Quatre argued with the unspoken command to stay out of the battle before it could be vocalized by either of his companions. He knew they were unsure of his usefulness, even now, and he had to prove he could hold his own, for the sake of Miss Relena. 'Time is of the essence. Heero has almost undoubtedly set up some kind of fail-safe. We can't take too long, or we lose everything.' The young de facto leader reasoned silently. 'Right now, we have to trust ourselves and each other more than ever. That means I have to earn their trust, not just indulge in their protection.'

"If you're sure, then let's try it." Sage replied, smiling grimly at the other blond.

Shiryu nodded as well, quickly smothering the slight shock that had leapt into his eyes. Unbidden, a picture of Shun leapt into Dragon's head when he glanced at Winner. The Knight was actually relieved by the revelation of just how strangely similar Andromeda and Sandrock's pilot were. Shiryu allowed a smirk to settle on his handsome features before rushing at the enemy, Sage beside him. Quatre moved in the Ronin's wake, trying to use Halo as a shield while he did his part. Winner's gun would fire a round from time to time, but for the most part, the Ronin's protection was enough. Unfortunately, for the most part doesn't always prove quite enough in combat situations.


	28. Team Work in Progress

**Team Work in Progress**

Kento pushed a horrified Shun behind him. The Ronin's expression was hard while he prepared himself for the blade of the pilot. There was a muffled grunt of pain as metal encased itself in flesh followed shortly by a screech of metal on metal.

"What?" Kento spun around to catch Shun, who was clasping his wounded shoulder. Wufei brushed past hardrock, blocking a second attempted blow at the Ronin's back from an as yet indiscernible attacker. While the pilot struggled with the "security system" Andromeda remembered having being mentioned, both the Ronin and the Knight realized how they could help to beat it. It was invisible, except for Shun's blood on one of it's appendages.

However, it only took a moment for the pilot to hack the thing in several pieces, making any intervention from the others pointless. Therefore, since he was currently unneeded, Shun tore some of his green shirt to bandage his own wound, while Kento still stood mute and unmoving.

Once downed, what was left of the thing could be seen plainly. It was decidedly a robot of some sort, appearing somewhat like a spider with about eight steel "legs" attached to a black, rather spherical body. Well, they used to be attached, anyway.

Wufei's hiss of pain brought Hardrock back to reality in time to catch the pilot, who had been swatted away by a second robot. Shun took the offensive this time, ignoring his hurt shoulder and used one of the severed legs of the first creature to impale the second. Chang was already on his feet before the creature hit the ground, but now he was the one watching, mildly impressed.

"Well, you aren't completely useless. Come on, we best get moving." He called rather sourly, taking off down the hall. Kento rolled up his sleeve menacingly and was about to reply when another pair of steel spiders were heard behind him. Andromeda, taking this as a cue to leave, hauled the Ronin off as best he could without hurting himself further.

"Just move. The sooner we get there, the sooner it's over, the sooner we never have to see him again." The Knight reasoned in his friend's ear as he jogged the two of them down the corridor.

"He still. . ."

"Please, my shoulder hurts, my head hurts, that noise is irritating, his personality is irritating, and in short, I'm in a bad mood! I am very rarely in a bad mood! Do not make me take it out on a friend." Andromeda cut Kento's indignant rant off before it could even be fully formed in Hardrock's thick head.

"Yipe." Kento summed intelligently, allowing himself to be lead while wondering at the expression on his gentle friend's face. It was not unlike the one that Cye wore when mad. And when Torrent's bearer was angry, it was a very unsettling, and occasionally dangerous, thing indeed. He imagined it was no different with Andromeda, and therefore thought it wiser to leave that theory untested.

The three continued down the hall at a good clip, listening to the screeching that seemed to be steadily getting closer, though from precisely which direction could be a matter of some contention.

"Our former Queen Relena may not be my favorite person, but she is necessary." Wufei finally broke the relative silence they had fallen into, in a vain attempt to drown out the escalating racket. "From what I understand of the layout, we're going the right way for the terminal we need to use, though those things might be the least of our problems."

"Oh, and how do you figure that?" Kento asked rather testily. He was frustrated, and definitely didn't want to take it out on Shun, so Chang was making a lovely target of himself. However, Hardrock decided it best to retire his wit, even as lacking as it was, when he caught Andromeda's eye roll.

"We have to get through the maze of corridors that were built in to protect against attack. And, the structure itself has a few security measures, as well." He answered cryptically. "We have to travel the furthest from where we began, compared to the rest, so we'll be the last ones to get where we're going. That means, the place itself will be dead set against us." The pilot finished. Shun was studying him carefully, trying to decide how much was paranoia and how much was cause for legitimate concern. Kento caught the Knight's arm and shook his head. Shun's eyes widened, but he understood the silent message that Wufei was perfectly sane. Hardrock remembered too well Dais' illusion of living walls; he wouldn't be surprised if the technology that meddled in magic strong enough to create Megaera would be affected by the power it set loose.

"So, a space station we are currently on is out to get us, we have to cover more ground in less time if this is going to work, and we still don't know for sure what we're up against or what to do for a plan B if this doesn't work for any of the thousand and one ways that this half-baked idea could have gone wrong in the first place. How did I do for the summary of the situation?" Andromeda enunciated slowly, feeling out the words while they rolled off his tongue.

"That seems to cover everything. So what are we waiting for?" Kento replied, a hard edge creeping into his voice.

"Nothing. If you want to move faster, just remember you'll have that much less time to react to trouble." Chang answered without turning around, but increasing his pace slightly, nonetheless. His voice was even, but his dark eyes were preoccupied scanning the passage ahead. His right hand often rested on or near the hilt of his sword, the only thing that proved how unnerved he truly was. Shun noticed the anxious fingers caressing the scabbard and guard, and realized for the first time that the boy before him was just like his friends; lonely, brave, and with far too much responsibility. Kento noticed nothing, since he was too eager for a fight to work off his nerves.

"Well, then, what ARE we waiting for? The sooner we get there, the sooner we don't have to worry about it anymore. So I say we get there now!" Hardrock bellowed. Andromeda shook his head sadly, resisting the urge to plunge his face into his hand. Altron's pilot said nothing, but began to trot down the hall. Chang didn't know how fast the other two could move, and he wanted to pace himself. Not to mention, he was really uncomfortable with the idea of running headfirst into the clutches of whatever-it-was that could be lurking about, and he didn't know why. His own hesitation and care were starting to wear on his nerves. He was about ready to curse himself as a weakling or coward when his fears were confirmed and he was able to say nothing.

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I'm not officially back to work on this fic, yet. It's on my to-do list, it will be finished, just not anytime soon. Sorry. But, I thought I'd let you know I'm still alive. And kind of writing. I'm hoping the school load won't be too much to bear and I'll be able to get fun done as well as work. We shall see.


	29. Hurry Up and Wait

**Hurry Up and Wait**

"We're running out of time." Heero muttered darkly beneath his breath.

"Time to do what?" Seiya asked, getting frustrated with the situation.

"Time to save Relena before this colony is destroyed. Some of the technology here is extremely dangerous, and there are sections we haven't fully explored. We don't know what exactly Dekim had here, nor can we be sure how much he left behind. If we fail, someone could get a hold of some of that information, and we could be faced with another war. Another Dekim Barton. I promised to never kill again, and I fought hoping to eradicate the need of anyone else to do the same. If our deaths ensure the peace of this world, I won't hesitate to break the first promise to make that hope a reality. I've rigged a few explosives to take this place out. The robots have been trying to dismantle them, but I made sure they were in locations that would cause structural damage if the bombs were removed. The others don't know, but they would understand. They know me, and they know it's for the best. They've probably figured out what I did." He answered slowly, turning to face his companions. "I'm sorry you and your charge were dragged into this, the casualties were supposed to be more limited. I have the bombs on remote control as well as a timer, but I won't disarm them just yet. I understand if you want to retaliate, but I'm afraid I'll have to beat you. I have to save miss Relena." His deep blue eyes were hard, but there was a sadness to them. A touch of human sorrow in an otherwise almost wild, unnatural expression. Ryo and Seiya both stopped dead in their tracks, wide eyed and open mouthed. What could they say to that?

"We aren't here to fight allies. Okay, so you have them on a timer? All we have to do to make the whole mess a mute point is beat the clock. So, lets go." Sanada spoke up before Pegasus could snarl whatever angry thoughts were making his eyes burn. The Knight took a step back as if the Ronin's words had physically struck him. Wildfire stepped between his two comrades, staring Seiya down. It wasn't a threatening glare, but almost a pleading one. After a moment, Pegasus unclenched his fists and nodded his head curtly as if in defeat, but still met Ryo's gaze. Seiya's eyes were hard, and determined, but also somewhat confused. Heero nodded in return, then turned on his heel and continued more quickly down the hall. What the others missed was the rare, genuine smile that graced his pale lips.

"We understand what it is to make sacrifices for what we believe in. I just think you should have told your friends." Seiya offered after he trusted himself to speak without throwing a temper tantrum. For some reason, though, he felt as if he'd expected as much from the pilot.

"They know me. This is something they had to know I would do. Don't worry. They understand. May any harm that comes from this be on my head." The last words were an almost silent prayer. Ryo felt a strange compassion for the boy before him. A kind of kinship with his companion's solitude and selfish selflessness.

"Of course, this does leave one rather important question. What if we fail, and the bombs don't work either? Who cleans up the mess, then?" Pegasus queried, forcing himself to return to his normal, jovial state. He had felt very uneasy hearing so many private thoughts, so the return to somewhat familiar territory helped him return to himself, as well.

"That's why we're not going to let the bombs be necessary. We're going to win without them." Wildfire replied for Heero. Yuy smirked at how comfortable he was with his companions, and how well they knew him. Ever since Duo had tracked him down after the Mariameia incident, Wing Zero's former pilot had been learning some much needed social skills. At least when around the other pilots. And Relena. As for the rest of the world, he was still the same old Heero. One of the stranger things about these two was how easy it was to be near them. Probably because they were warriors, as well. A different war, but the same story, from what he could tell of the look in their eyes and the way that they moved.

"Mission: Accepted." Yuy muttered to himself, almost jokingly. Seiya couldn't make out the words, at first, but decided not to inquire further. Ryo heard and understood. At first, his face scrunched in sympathy before he realized the jest and began to smile. Heero glanced back, and his twinkling blue eyes caught the attention of the Knight. He then realized what had been said, and found himself laughing softly despite himself, unsure of what was so amusing. Heero finally succumbed deep, honest laugh, the like of which he'd not enjoyed in far too long a time, and the sound was a much needed release from the spell of the place. They continued down the hall, laughing to themselves, and willfully momentarily forgetting how much rested on their young shoulders and how much more they would be expected to accomplish.

"We could have done without having to deal with those." Heero said dryly, pulling out his gun and firing a shot at what appeared to be air. A spider-like robot was made visible when it crumpled to the ground, downed by his bullet.

"At least we know they're easy to get rid of." Seiya shot back, destroying another with his fist while glaring at Heero.

"He hates guns." Ryo explained, shrugging his shoulders sympathetically in answer to the pilot's raised eyebrow. The Ronin also disabled one of the machines, kicking it into, and nearly through, the side wall of the corridor. Yuy shook his head, still slightly confused as to how anyone could hate guns when they were so useful, then continued his own assault against the creatures.

"Great. There's more than one kind." Wing Zero's pilot ground out after a moment of silence. Or, at least relative silence. Screeching metal and gunfire were definitely sounds, but no one had been speaking.

"Not to worry. The tarantulas have the electricity, the crabs have the sharp edges, and the beetles are just annoyingly fast. But none of them are all that hard to deal with, once you know where they are." Ryo summed.

"And how hard is it to know where they are when their just overgrown wind-up toys that make enough noise to wake the dead?" Seiya offered, demolishing the final assailant with a slight look of surprise. "That was too easy, wasn't it?"

"What's the catch?" Sanada added, finishing his friend's thought.

"We still have to get past their boss, and we lost some time. Not to mention, we have no idea what kind of defenses she's been able to put up, especially if she has those powers that have you so worried. Or if she's taken over your goddess." Heero deadpanned, walking straight ahead with his usual, determined slump.

"Oh, is that all?" The Knight quipped, though his face paled at the words and his step quickened. Wildfire shook his head, rolling a sore shoulder surreptitiously before hurrying along after the two.

"Why is it that they can be so loud, and then so quiet during the attacks?" Ryo asked after a moment.

"Hey, you're right!" Seiya gasped in surprise, remembering the many times he'd felt sure he was going to be hit from one side and had to change the direction of his punch or kick mid-swing.

"The noise is something they project to intimidate and disorient their victims. They quiet before attack unless they're throwing the noise in an opposite direction. It's not actually caused by their claws on the metal." Heero explained, not breaking his stride.

"Good idea. Too bad for them it hasn't worked on us yet." Pegasus smiled mischievously.

"It did on your friend." Yuy reminded dully. Both warriors nearly stopped dead in shock. "Ryo Sanada was hit in the shoulder by a scorpion. It was the only one of its kind there, but I think you can both guess what it had as it's defense."

"You're okay, right Ryo?" The Knight asked, concerned and surprised.

"I'm fine, just a scratch." Wildfire nodded, smiling to hide his own doubts.

"No, you're poisoned, actually, from what I could tell." Heero grunted.

"Don't worry about it, I've had worse. No mechanical insect could measure up with the Warlord of Venom." Sanada reassured. "I should probably just tell you about the Ronin Warriors, you'll understand better, then, I think."

"Well, if this is going to be story time, I guess I might as well add what my friends and I have been up to since finishing training. It's quite a tale, too." Seiya offered.

Once both Knight and Ronin had shared their stories with the pilot, they found themselves nearing their destination, and Heero found he had a better understanding of his companions than he had gained through Dais' clipped and one-sided narrative. There had been a long silence, during which Yuy had been digesting what he had heard, trying to analyze it to make it fit with the world he knew.

"It must be strange for you to have to work so closely with such bitter enemies, Ryo Sanada of the Wildfire." Wing Zero's pilot answered when he realized the other two were waiting for him to speak.

"Is it strange for you to work with Zechs Marquis?" Ryo asked before he could stop himself. He wasn't even sure why he knew the name or the connection, but it nearly stopped Seiya dead in his tracks, and the mask of the Perfect Soldier faltered under the unexpected response.

"I suppose not. All that matters is that you know your enemy. Anyone else is either an obstacle or inconsequential." Heero reminded himself, saying the words without even being sure of the meaning. He had repeated them so often, they no longer made sense to him, when once they had shaped his entire world.

"But you don't really believe that, do you?" Pegasus asked incredulously. The Knight had caught up to the others by now, having recovered from his shock, just to be nearly bowled over again.

"I'm not sure what to believe anymore. Peace time is not a place for soldiers, no matter how much they may have wanted peace. We are the misfits, the people not meant to be within the world we created. The price for such a world is that it is lost to us. Duo once said it was like the Bible story of Moses. The guide is not allowed within the Promised Land; he can only see it from afar." Heero spoke softly, almost entirely to himself. He wasn't really opening up. It was more like a confession. He had forgotten the others were present, and was preoccupied with wrestling his own soul. He jumped when Seiya spoke, bringing him out of his reverie.

"I'm new here, and my world works a little differently, not to mention Christianity is Hyoga's department, but it seems to me you're still alive, and if this is the peace you worked for, doesn't that mean this is your promised land?" Pegasus spoke softly, uncertain. He scared himself a little. The words and voice that were coming from his mouth sounded foreign in his ears, but he knew they were his, too. He caught Ryo's smile with the corner of his eye, and saw the Ronin's eyes glint playfully.

"Perhaps you're right. Like I said, I don't know what to think about all of this." Heero ended helplessly, shrugging his hunched shoulders. It was only then that his friends realized his shoulders were always slouched, as if carrying a great weight. His confident stride and hard gaze usually discouraged people from noticing the worn, tired posture. But it was there, the bend in the body that comes when too much has been heaped upon the soul and the mind has come too near to breaking. They recognized it; the look of the old soldier whose hell was on earth. And, if they hadn't known all too well how soon they would be visited with the same, they would have pitied him. As it was, they dared not pity, for fear of being pitied when they were in his place. That would be the cruelest fate by far.

Heero paused in his trudging step. "We're here." He announced in a cool monotone. His voice was so low he didn't need to whisper to keep from being heard.

"Okay, so what now?" Seiya asked nervously, glancing around and wondering why they were stopping.

"We wait for everyone else to get in to position. If we move too soon, we will most likely fail." Yuy answered, pressing his back against a wall and sliding to the floor. His head tipped forward as if he was about to sleep.

"Have I ever told you how much I hate waiting?" Seiya queried, shifting his weight and looking around. Something definitely did not feel right; the others were in trouble and Athena needed him. Standing there doing nothing amid all that was about the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life.

"How will you know when. . ." Ryo began to ask, narrowing his eyes to better scrutinize the pilot. At least he didn't have to finish the question.

"We will know. I doubt our communication devices will work here, but I have a strange feeling that we'll just know. I'm starting to sound like Quatre!" Heero's head shot up in slight surprise. He was so out of sorts today, he couldn't imagine what had come over him. But he had decidedly been sounding like the Arabian, he realized. His revelation drew small laughs from the other two, but then the silence returned, and with that death-knell there was no longer any call for mirth.

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Much explaining of details I wasn't even aware of myself, a touch of foreshadowing, and way too much emotional / psychological / philosophical crap. What a way to end an update. So sorry. I can not stress enough how bad an idea it was for me to bring in the Gundam Pilots. Really, truly, I just can't. I hate my mind.


End file.
